The Amazing Race
Encyclopedia
The Amazing Race is a reality television
game show
in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race
around the world in competition with other teams. Contestants strive to arrive first at "pit stops" at the end of each leg of the race to win prizes and to avoid coming in last, which carries the possibility of elimination or a significant disadvantage in the following leg. Contestants travel to and within multiple countries in a variety of transportation modes, including planes
, balloons
, helicopters
, trucks
, bicycles
, taxicabs
, personal car
, jeepneys
, trains
, busses
, boats
, and by foot
. Clues provided in each leg lead the teams to the next destination or direct them to perform a task, either together or by a single member. These challenges are related in some manner to the country wherein they are located or its culture. Teams are progressively eliminated until three are left; at that point, the team that arrives first in the final leg is awarded the grand prize.
Created by Elise Doganieri
and Bertram van Munster
, the original series
has aired in the United States
since 2001 and has earned twelve Primetime Emmy Award
s, including every award from 2003 to 2011, except in 2010, for "Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
" (Top Chef
won in 2010). Emmy
-award-winning New Zealand
television personality, Phil Keoghan
, has been the host of the show since its inception. The show has branched out to include a number of international versions following a similar format.
s. Each team is composed of two people with a pre-existing relationship, such as dating, married, and divorced couples (both heterosexual
and homosexual
); relatives, including sibling
s and parents and children; lifelong friends; sports team colleagues; and co-workers. The dynamics of the relationship under the stress of competition is a focus of the show, and are often described by the teams during interviews held before, during, and after the teams have raced, and through discussion with the show's host when they arrive at the Pit Stop. The stress of racing with one's partner, staying ahead of the competition, completing the assigned tasks, and dealing with little sleep or luxury combined to create "killer fatigue", a phrase coined by fans of the show, and often a team's inability to cope with the fatigue is what is ultimately responsible for a team's elimination from the Race.
Original Race rules required that teammates have had a pre-existing relationship longer than three years, and no previous acquaintances with other racers during that cycle. However, these requirements have been dropped in some cases; Dustin and Kandice from Seasons 10
and 11
, knew each other from the beauty pageant circuit, and from Seasons 9
and 11, Eric and Danielle, met on the Race and had begun dating, when asked to be on the All-Star Season. Individual racers must be of a specific nationality and meet specific age requirements; this is necessary to allow teams to obtain the necessary passport
documentation to travel across the world without incident.
The team format has varied in some seasons. Four seasons featured twelve teams of two, while the "Family Edition"
featured ten teams of four players and included young children.
Unseen by the viewer most of the time, teams are accompanied by a two-man audio and video production crew that records the team as they race, and must be able to travel with the team members. The production crews are switched among teams each leg to avoid familiarity.
with their first clue, from which all expenses (food, transportation, lodging, attraction admission, and supplies) must be purchased during the leg. Selected tasks have also required the teams to use their money to complete the task. However, teams are given a credit card
which they must use to purchase airline tickets (and in the case of the "Family Edition", the purchase of gasoline). While early seasons of the US version of the show allowed for teams to use the credit card to reserve flights outside of an airport or travel agency, recent seasons have prohibited this use.
Allowance money is usually given in the same currency as the show's nation regardless of location; US versions of the Race will provide racers with U.S. dollars
. In one exception, teams were given money in the currency of Vietnam
at the start of that leg. The amount of money varies from leg to leg, and has ranged from hundreds of dollars to nothing. Teams are allowed to keep any unused money for future race legs, barring certain penalties for finishing last.
If team members spend all of their money or have it taken away in a non-elimination leg, they may try to get more money in any way that does not violate the local laws. This includes borrowing money from other teams, begging from locals or selling their possessions. Since Season 7
, teams have been prevented from begging at United States airport
s. Additionally, teams may not use their personal possessions to barter
payment for services.
Teams have reported on the existence of an emergency fund of approximately US$200 that is carried by their crew and can only be used in extreme circumstances, but generally not as a means to pay for any activity related to the race. However, the exact amount is not known, nor are the exact circumstances when it can be used.
that the teams must follow.
The original Route Markers used in Season 1
were colored yellow and white. They were changed to yellow and red in The Amazing Race 2
, which has remained the standard Route Markers color scheme thereafter. Occasionally, different color schemes are adopted for certain legs, seasons, or versions of the race.
. The clues themselves are typically printed on a vertical
strip of paper, although additional information is often provided inside the clue folder. After retrieving the clue, teams open the envelope and read aloud the instructions given on the clue sheet and then follow those instructions. Teams are generally required to collect each clue during each leg and keep that information with them until they reach the next Pit Stop, surrendering them once they have checked in.
At Route Markers, clue envelopes are placed inside a box mounted to the Marker. In early seasons, the box contained exactly the number of clues for teams on that leg, allowing teams to indirectly determine their current placement in the leg by counting envelopes. In more recent seasons, extra envelopes are left in clue boxes to prevent this from occurring.
In some cases, clues - most often Route Markers - have been provided by more unorthodox
means, such as in an advertisement in a local newspaper or on some item related to the task just performed. A common unorthodox means in the US version is to place the clue at the bottom of the Roaming Gnome, the mascot
of Travelocity
, the sponsor of the US version.
". In some cases, Route Information clues will require all teams to complete a non-Detour
, non-Roadblock
task before getting the clue to their next destination, such as taking part in a ceremonial observation. If a team goes to the next destination using the wrong type of transport, they will get a 30-minute penalty at the pit stop.
A Detour presents the team with a decision between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. The two tasks are named, often based on rhyme
s or pun
s, such as "Plow" / "Fowl" to differentiate between a task involving plowing against a task involving corral
ling ducks. Teams are given several details about both tasks, but may need to travel a short distance by foot or car to the different task locations. Typically, one task is less physically demanding than the other but is tedious or requires some amount of time or thinking to complete, while the other is usually a more physically demanding or frightening option that, depending on the team's ability, may take less time to complete. The decision about which task to attempt lies solely with the team. A team may choose to switch tasks as many times as they wish with no penalty other than the time lost in attempting the tasks and traveling between task locations. Unless otherwise instructed, teams can work together to finish a Detour option. Once a team has completed one of the tasks, they are given the clue to their next location. If a team does not complete a detour, they will get a 6-hour penalty.
A Roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform. A Roadblock clue is given as a cryptic question, such as "Who's really hungry?" or "Who wants to get down and dirty?" Based on this information and observation of any other racers at the task, the team must decide which member will complete the task before reading the full task description. Once a team announces its decision of who will complete the Roadblock, it can not be taken back. The Roadblock task is performed only by the selected racer while their partner waits in a designated area, although the partner is usually able to supply words of encouragement and advice. Some Roadblocks may involve the non-selected racer, such as leading a camel
his or her partner rides, or helping his or her partner solve a puzzle. Normally, once the racer completes the Roadblock, the team receives their clue to the next Route Marker.
Early seasons allowed teams to distribute the Roadblocks between the team members as they desired, which allowed one team member to do nearly all the Roadblocks. This was changed in Season 6
, which limited a single teammate to a maximum number of Roadblocks s/he could complete, thus forcing his or her partner to perform roughly half of the Roadblocks, as well. Subsequent seasons have not explicitly stated this rule but teams have maintained an even distribution of Roadblocks throughout the Race. Racers can be heard saying they've done "all my Roadblocks" or "saving the last one". In Season 9, the Roadblock limit was increased to a maximum of seven which can lead to a 6-6 or 5-7 distribution. In Season 18, the rule was further modified; in this season, team members could not complete more than five roadblocks prior to the final leg (This season featured two roadblocks in the final leg, so all of the final three team members would complete six roadblocks). The only time the limit was not enforced was during the "Family Edition", wherein some Roadblocks required two people from each 4-person team to participate. If a team does not complete a roadblock, they will get a 4-hour penalty.
While one member performs the first roadblock the other member does the second roadblock. This twist appeared three times in the race.
Season 16
is the only season both two twists appeared in the same season. In leg 4, the intersection Roadblock appeared while leg 10 was the double roadblock leg.
Season 18
had the double roadblock leg in its final leg. Season 19
's leg 5 was also a double roadblock leg.
A Fast Forward is a task that, once completed, allows the team that completes it to bypass
all remaining tasks in the leg and proceed directly to the Pit Stop. The Fast Forward clue is given with another task clue (usually a Roadblock or Detour) and is a separate task from the others. Only one team may complete a Fast Forward in any given leg, and a team may only complete one Fast Forward in the entire Race. The exception to this rule is in seasons wherein the Fast Forward is offered in conjunction with the Intersection, in which case a team may win the Fast Forward both as an individual team and as a team working with another as part of the Intersection instructions. Teams that win the Fast Forward are not guaranteed a first-place finish for that leg and still face elimination if they arrive at the Pit Stop last.
Multiple teams may undertake Fast Forward tasks, but only the first team to complete the task gets credit.
Fast Forwards were initially offered on every leg of the Race, including some that were not shown if no one took the task or if all remaining teams had won their Fast Forward. The number of Fast Forwards available has since been reduced to two on each Race since Season 5
, and then down to one since Season 14, to reduce the costs of providing Fast Forward tasks that would not be taken. Season 14 did not air the Fast Forward because no one had opted to perform the Fast Forward in that race. Season 18 was the first American season to not offer a Fast Forward.
The Yield, introduced in Season 5
, allows any one team to force another team to stop racing for a predetermined amount of time. The Yield Marker is placed near a Route Marker, and teams are forced to stop at it to state their intentions to employ the Yield. The clue would say "Caution: Yield ahead!" If a team Yielded another team, they would place a photo of the Yielded team, along with a "Courtesy of" photo of themselves, on the stand. When the Yielded team arrived at the Yield, they would then turn over an hourglass
and wait for the sand to drain before they could continue to the Route Marker. A team may only use its Yield power once on the race, and only one team may be Yielded when the Yield is available, although a team may be Yielded multiple times during the same Race. If a team loses its "Courtesy of" photo, it loses its Yield power. If the team that is Yielded has already passed the Yield, the Yield is nullified.
During Season 5, teams were not aware of the upcoming Yield. In subsequent seasons, clues have alerted teams that a Yield would be present at the next Route Marker. Yields were present in every leg except the last of Season 5, while only three were present in Seasons 6 through 8, and two in Seasons 9 through 11. Yields have not been present in the US Race since Season 11 after a revised format of the clue, the U-Turn. Yields are still present within the foreign editions.
The second season of Israeli
version has a different format of the Yield where, at the start of the leg, each team votes for who should receive the Yield. The team with the most votes is forced to complete the yield.
The U-Turn, introduced in Season 12
as a replacement of the Yield, is similar in format to the Yield; however, it is always placed immediately after a Detour. After completing their Detour option, a team may use their U-Turn ability to force another team to backtrack and complete the Detour option they did not previously complete. Like the Yield, the team placing the U-Turn places a photo of the team they are penalizing along with their own "Courtesy Of" photo on the U-Turn marker stand. Also, if a team has lost their "Courtesy Of" photo, they will be unable to use their U-Turn power for the remainder of the Race. It is possible for a team to U-Turn a team that has already passed the U-Turn (or skipped it by means of a Fast Forward), nullifying its effects, and usually the U-Turn will be unaired on television. A team can only use their U-Turn power once per Race. Teams are warned of an upcoming U-Turn on the Route Marker after the Detour clue. If there are both a U-Turn and a Fast Forward available in the same leg, or if the U-Turn is a Double U-Turn, teams will be made aware that a U-Turn will be available "at some point" during the leg when they leave the Pit Stop, since the team taking the Fast Forward option will have skipped the Detour as well as the U-Turn marker, except when the Detour comes before the Fast Forward. Season 15
was the first and currently the only season not to air a U-Turn, since this mechanism was introduced.
Starting in Season 14
, teams were met with a new variation of the U-Turn called a "Blind U-Turn." If teams use a Blind U-Turn, they do not have to publicly reveal themselves as the perpetrators with their "Courtesy Of" photo.
From Season 17
, a "Double U-Turn" was introduced, in which two teams can each choose a team to U-Turn. Teams are notified in the first clue of the Double U-Turn leg that it will occur "at some point". Once the team completes their detour, the next clue will mention "Caution: Double U-Turn ahead". A team can only U-Turn once, and a team cannot be U-Turned twice in the same leg. In addition, a U-Turned team can U-Turn another team, and this can be done before they complete their extra detour branch.
Season 18
introduced an "automatic U-Turn", where the team who came in last in the starting line task would have to do both tasks of the first Detour (which was not incurred until leg 2).
The second season of Israeli
version has a different format of the U-Turn where, at the start of the leg, each team votes for who should receive the U-Turn. The team with the most votes is forced to complete both of the Detour tasks upon arriving at the Detour.
In Season 19
, the U-Turn sign had a complete makeover, similar to the Speed Bump. In the past, teams were required to carry their "Courtesy Of" photo, and grab a sticker from the box and stick them on the sign. This time, a large touch screen and a small touch screen were on the U-Turn sign (two sets in a Double U-Turn). Here, teams had to touch their own photo (on the small screen) and another team (on the large screen) to use their U-Turn power. This meant that teams didn't have to carry a "Courtesy Of" photo throughout the race. When choosing the teams, the users are aware which teams are still in the race, and which ones are eliminated to avoid wasting their U-Turn power.
The Intersection, used in Seasons 10, 11, 16 requires each team to pair up with one other team and perform all tasks and make decisions together until further notice. Should there be no other teams present when a given team arrives at the Intersection Route Marker, they must wait there until another team arrives, although they do not have to partner with that team and can opt to wait for another team instead. Teams are free to choose their partner team if multiple teams are present. Teams are not warned when an Intersection is coming. Normal Route Markers have been included with the use of the Intersection. The first season of the Australian version
featured two separate Intersections during its run, with the second Intersection having a unique set of penalties for quitting part way through the task.
The second season of the Latin American version
also featured a task called an Intersection, but the rules were extremely different from the American and Australian Intersections. When two teams reached the Intersection, they competed against each other in a task. The winning team was given their next clue, while the losing team had to wait for the next team's arrival to start the task over; the last team to lose had to wait 15 minutes before receiving their clue. this was added in the second season for the Israeli version but it was known as a double battle
The Express Pass, introduced in Season 17
, which given the prize for first leg allows a team to skip any one task (including Roadblocks, Detours and miscellaneous tasks) during the race. If a team used the express pass to skip a detour and that team is U-Turned, the U-Turn is void. The choice of which task to skip is at the team's discretion, but the power, if unused, expires at the end of the eighth leg. If a team is eliminated with the Express Pass still in hand, the pass will be given to the team who comes in first place that leg. The Australian edition of the program
has also incorporated the Express Pass into its game.
The Hazard, introduced in Season 19
, is a penalty applied to the team who came in last at the starting line task. After completing a task (in Season 19 it was a Roadblock), the team was given a different clue that directed them to another location where they found the Hazard clue. The Hazard consisted of a task that only one of the team members had to perform.
Several sources have reported that the Hazard will affect the team throughout the Race; this contrasts with an interview American host Phil Keoghan had to promote the new season, where it only affected the team on the first leg. This built off of Season 18
's starting task, where the penalty was an automatic U-Turn at only the first Detour.
Teams complete each leg by stepping up to the Check-In Mat at the Pit Stop. All team members must be in front of the mat to be checked in, which can allow one team to bypass another in the leg final placement if one team member is slow arriving at the mat. The host will proceed to tell each team of their current standing. If the team has failed to do a task that they can correct, the host will tell them they must complete that before they can check in. In other cases, if the failure cannot be easily rectified, or the team has already accumulated penalties, they will be asked to wait out the penalty time to the side, which may allow other teams to check-in before them. Except on pre-determined non-elimination legs and on the final leg, the last team to check-in is eliminated from the Race. This has become dubbed "Philimination" as a portmanteau of the host's name and the word "elimination". If it is determined after teams have checked in that a team should have incurred a penalty that would have affected which team was eliminated, the affected teams are alerted to this after all other teams are checked in. Otherwise, such penalties are announced at the start of the next leg.
In later seasons, the team that arrives first at the mat during any leg besides the last will receive a prize, often trips, personal vehicles, or cash that they can "enjoy after the race". Teams may arrive simultaneously at the mat, which in some seasons has been treated as a tie with any prizes awarded from placement being given to all teams, while in others, has required teams to determine their finish order, with only one team winning placement prize. In this case, the teams will start the next leg one minute apart from each other.
One or more local greeters are present at the mat along with the host, and welcome the team to their country. During the first US season, host Keoghan only appeared with the greeters when the final team arrived to eliminate them. The mat itself is a bathmat-sized map of the world, though during US season 1 and some points during other races, the mat was decorated to represent the local culture.
As each team is checked in, the host will typically conduct a short interview, or a "Mat Chat", with the teams at the mat. Teams are then taken to the Pit Stop lodgings before the next team checks in. Often, in a tight race, multiple teams will arrive at the mat within a few seconds or minutes of each other, and the host will interview them all before they are taken to the lodgings. During the first US season, teams were seen loitering near the Pit Stop, and thus would see the arrival of other teams.
If a team is unable to complete an elimination leg due to injury, or are still performing tasks well long after all other teams have been checked-in, the host may go out to the team and announce their elimination. Alternatively, teams may be given a clue that instructs them to go directly to the Pit Stop, bypassing any other tasks that may have been on the leg, where they will be eliminated.
Pit Stops, mostly in earlier seasons, are normally twelve hours long, such that if a team arrived at 9:00 a.m., they will depart on the next leg at 9:00 p.m. When the show encounters production issues or if planned ahead of time, the pit stop is often extended by multiples of 24 hours, such that teams will still leave what appears to be 12 hours later to the television viewer. However, viewers have been able to use dates and times displayed during the show and post-Race interviews to determine where these extended Pit Stops occur and their approximate length. Beginning with Season 8, the Pit Stops have included ones of various lengths between 12 and 24 hours as to prevent teams from loitering at airports or finding flights that may get them too much of a lead on other teams. One major clue when this occurs is when Phil does not indicate an arrival time for team departing first. The longest known Pit Stop occurred during the first US season when production was forced to relocate the Pit Stop in Tunisia
due to a sandstorm. This was the first instance of a "mobile pit stop", which also appeared in Seasons 3
, 15
, 16
, and 18
where teams have been transported to another location during the pit stop, without any knowledge of their final destination.
" legs, shown over two episodes or a single two-hour long episode, where teams are not checked in at a Pit Stop but instead given a clue to continue racing. The clues that precede the mid-point of the double-length leg often will hint at a Pit Stop but will not include the normal language found in clues for normal-length legs that direct teams to the Pit Stop. In some cases, the host has been present along with the check-in mat to give teams their next clues. Double-length race legs were born out of necessity during Season 6
. Leg 6 in Hungary
was originally planned to be two legs, with a non-elimination point between the legs which would have stripped the last team of their money and not given them any at the start of the next leg. Producers discovered during the race that begging is illegal in Hungary, which would have made it nearly impossible for the last place team to acquire the money needed for the upcoming leg, and quickly devised the extended leg to mimic the effects of a non-elimination leg (keeping the same number of teams in the race), and using a simple video message clue to provide teams the goal for the first task of the second half of the leg.
More double-length legs were shown from Season 7
to Season 10
, Season 14
and season 1 of the Australian verson. It has also been shown on Season 18
on two legs as of March 20, 2011 (see No-break legs section), and one leg on Season 19
which was in Leg 9. In addition, the season finale of the Family Edition
contained a double-length leg similar to Season 6. This was repeated in Season 2
of the Latin American edition; however, the final leg was broadcast as two different episodes.
From Season 12 onward, the penalty for finishing last in a non-elimination leg is that the affected team will have to perform a "Speed Bump" task sometime during the next leg. Teams would be alerted to the upcoming Speed Bump by a Route Marker clue prior to it, while the Speed Bump itself is displayed in a manner similar to the Yield showing the affected team's picture at a stand near to the regular Route Marker. Once the team completes the Speed Bump task, they may receive the next clue that they would have gotten at the Route Marker, or they may have to backtrack to where the cluebox was initially to get their next clue, depending on the task. If the team does not complete the Speed Bump, they will receive a four-hour penalty at the pit stop.
In early US seasons, clues that directed teams to Pit Stops could be used to infer if that leg was a non-elimination leg; the normal language that ended each Pit Stop clue—"The last team to check in will be eliminated."—was replaced with "may be eliminated". In later seasons of the Race "may" was used in all legs except the first leg. Since Season 15, most clues leading to the Pit Stop have used the term may be eliminated, including the first leg, as the first leg in Season 15 was a non-elimination leg. Occasionally, the second-to-last leg may use the term will be eliminated when there are no more non-elimination legs left in the Race before reaching the Finish Line. If there is a double-elimination leg, the term will be eliminated will be used since teams are notified in their first clue that the leg will be double-elimination.
Non-elimination legs give trailing teams a incentive to stay competitive; since there is a chance they might not be eliminated, they will continue to complete tasks and get to the Pit Stop as quickly as possible, to keep from falling further behind.
), racers encountered a new type of non-elimination leg twice. Prior to arriving at the Pit Stop mat, teams were told simply to head to the Pit Stop. When the first team arrived, they were given a prize for completing the leg first, but Phil told them that they had to keep racing. In addition, the team (or teams) in last place would not be shown finishing that leg until the following episode, where they would be told that they are in last but that they are to keep racing. This was used on the race's first and fourth legs.It shown again this type of twist in the nineteenth edition during Leg 9.
where the last team to check in at designated midpoint in the first leg was eliminated. This leg also featured a regular elimination at the Pit Stop. Season 15
featured another surprise elimination in its first Leg, where only 11 sets of tickets were available to the first destination city, and the Race began with twelve teams. After eleven teams completed the task at the starting line and received tickets, the last team remaining was eliminated; at the Pit Stop later, the last team was not eliminated. Season 19
featured the first "true" double-elimination leg in the second leg, where two teams were eliminated at the same time at the Pit Stop.
, Alaska
or Canada
for the US version or South East Asia or the Pacific Islands for the Australian version) prior to traveling to the final city back in the host country. However, in more recent Races, final legs have been single legs, whereby teams are flown directly from the final foreign country to the final city in the host country.
Teams still must complete all tasks in the final city before they are directed to the finish mat. At the check-in mat, the host and the other eliminated teams celebrate the arrival of the teams. Generally all three teams are allowed to arrive. In rare cases, a trailing team may be so far behind and outside the final city that they are given a clue at their next Route Marker that informs them of the Race results. To date, this has only happened twice in the US version, occurring in Seasons 1 and 4.
While the complete set of official rules has not been released to the public, certain rules have been revealed during the various editions of the race:
The teams are often given additional rules and instructions that apply specifically to a given leg or to a task supplied with one of the clues; these are usually not explained to the viewer unless they affect the Race results.
If the penalty is known before the racers arrive at the check-in mat, they are forced to wait out that time before they can be checked in; if they happen to be the last team on a non-elimination leg, they will be checked in early, but the remaining time will be applied at the start of the next leg. If the penalty is discovered after racers arrive, and does not affect which team is eliminated, it is applied to the start of the next leg, with the viewers given verbal notification if it affects the departure order. In only one case has a penalty altered who would be eliminated and a special announcement of this change to the affected teams was done after production was able to review the results but before the start of the next leg.
Should a vehicle (including cars and boats) break down through no fault of the team using it, a replacement vehicle is provided for them, but "no time credit is given for their wait in this unlucky situation."
Teams may also receive time credits, applied to the next leg, that result from "production difficulties." These are only revealed to the viewer if they affect the placement at the start of the next leg.
The show is broadcast on CBS in the United States
. It is simulcast via satellite in various networks around the world.
Through its efforts, the American version has received many accolades, including Primetime Emmy Award
s and nominations in categories for audio and video production and editing. In 2010, CBS announced that the 18th season of the show would be broadcast in high definition.
Season 19 debuted September 25, 2011, and the 20th edition has been slated for spring 2012.
The original version of The Amazing Race is the American version
, which debuted on CBS
in September 2001. In October 2005, CBS optioned The Amazing Race for franchising to other countries. Buena Vista International Television-Asia Pacific (BVITV-AP) and Sony Pictures Television International's AXN
Asia announced an Asian edition of the race, billed as The Amazing Race Asia, that same month. Applications ran from February to the end of March 2006. Filming began in June. Its first season premiered on November 9, 2006 and concluded on February 1, 2007.
During 2005, AXN Central Europe announced a version of the show to be called The Amazing Race Central Europe. Applications were closed with the submission of 2,500 applicants, with filming expected to have occurred in 2006 and broadcast from September 2006. The show has yet to air and has been pulled from AXN's website, fueling rumors of cancellation.
In addition, a South-American independent production company announced in late 2006 that it would be producing a Brazilian version in 2007, to be called The Amazing Race: A Corrida Milionária
, and to be aired in a purchased time slot in the Brazilian network RedeTV!. Applications were open from January until July, and filming occurred during August and September. The first and only season premiered on October 13, 2007 and concluded on January 5, 2008.
On April 8, 2008, Israel
i TV network Reshet
had announced plans to produce the local version of the show, known as HaMerotz LaMillion
(The Race to the Million in English). It was shot worldwide and premiered on February 5, 2009. Second season will premiere on October 25, 2011.
On October 15, 2008, a Latin America
n version of the show was announced by the Discovery Channel
Latin America in association with Disney. The show's first season was filmed in early 2009 and broadcast late in that year across Latin America and the Caribbean and the second season aired in late 2010. In January, 2011 it was announced that Space
aqcuired the rights to produce the third season of The Amazing Race Latin America.
On March, 2010, a Chinese version
of the show was announced by the Disney-ABC International Television
Asia Pacific. The show was produced by Shanghai based international production company Fly Films
; the company had previously produced Shanghai Rush
in 2009, a showed heavily influenced by The Amazing Race. The first series was filmed in March/April 2010 and broadcast in August 2010 by International Channel of Shanghai
.
In mid-2010 it was announced that Australia would be producing its own version
. In November 2010, New Zealand-born actor Grant Bowler
was announced as its host.
On October, 2011 a Norwegian
version of the show was announced by TV 2
. Applications will be opened from October 11, 2011 to October 31, 2011. Filming will take place in January, 2012. Football player Freddy dos Santos will be hosting Amazing Race Norge.
for the Wii
. It was released on November 2, 2010 in North America
.
The game features many locations previously visited on real races, as well as some new ones like Canada
, and Venezuela
. Host Phil Keoghan provided voice acting throughout the entire game.
Players get to customize their own characters and can race against other, pre-made characters. These existing teams are showcased in the opening, which closely mirrors the actual show's opening (including the use of the same music). However, when playing the actual game, no-one, not even the player, is referred to by name. Instead, teams are differentiated by color (ex. team yellow).
The rules of the race are fairly similar to the actual race. Teams receive money, fly to a location and complete various tasks. The last team to arrive is eliminated, unless they are saved by a non-elimination leg, in which the penalty is the team loses all their money they saved up to that point (unlike the show during seasons 5-9, the teams are still given money at the start of the next leg). However, teams all leave the Pit Stop at the same time. The tasks are represented by a large collection of minigames.
Some of the clues had changes to their rules. The Detour and Roadblock retain their rules, although there is no limit on individual Roadblocks. Fast Forwards appear in the race, but they are not optional. Instead, the team that completes it fastest gets a 2 hour time credit. Also featured alongside the Detour and Roadblock is the Intersection. However, the Intersection's rules are drastically different. It is a task that all teams complete, similar to an additional task on the real race.
The Yield, U-Turn, Speed Bump and Express Pass are not featured in this game.
As an added bonus, completing various tasks and doing certain objectives in the game will unlock "video files." These are selected clips from the actual American TV show. They are mostly extremely dramatic moments (such as when Uchenna & Joyce couldn't pay their taxi driver at the final Pit Stop
and Chris & Alex making the closest finish in Amazing Race
) or funny moments (such as when Fran & Barry kept walking past a clue that was within arm's length
). The clips appear exactly as they did on TV, except that all logos are pixelated, even those that went uncensored on TV. Clips from seasons 1 to 15 are included.
Ludia
also made one for the iPhone
, iPod touch
and iPad
that is similar to the Wii version.
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race
Racing
A sport race is a competition of speed, against an objective criterion, usually a clock or to a specific point. The competitors in a race try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time...
around the world in competition with other teams. Contestants strive to arrive first at "pit stops" at the end of each leg of the race to win prizes and to avoid coming in last, which carries the possibility of elimination or a significant disadvantage in the following leg. Contestants travel to and within multiple countries in a variety of transportation modes, including planes
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
, balloons
Balloon (aircraft)
A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its buoyancy. A balloon travels by moving with the wind. It is distinct from an airship, which is a buoyant aircraft that can be propelled through the air in a controlled manner....
, helicopters
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
, trucks
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
, bicycles
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
, taxicabs
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
, personal car
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, jeepneys
Jeepney
Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating...
, trains
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
, busses
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, boats
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
, and by foot
Walking
Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...
. Clues provided in each leg lead the teams to the next destination or direct them to perform a task, either together or by a single member. These challenges are related in some manner to the country wherein they are located or its culture. Teams are progressively eliminated until three are left; at that point, the team that arrives first in the final leg is awarded the grand prize.
Created by Elise Doganieri
Elise Doganieri
Elise Doganieri is the Co-Creator and Co-Executive Producer of the CBS reality show The Amazing Race. Doganieri's other credits include serving as show producer of ABC's "Profiles From the Front Line" as well as producer and story editor on the pilot for Paramount's "Wild Things."The Amazing Race...
and Bertram van Munster
Bertram Van Munster
Bertram van Munster is the co-creator and executive producer of The Amazing Race. He is also the creator of Profiles from the Front Line and was the Executive Producer on Oprah's Big Give and Take the Money and Run ....
, the original series
The Amazing Race (U.S. TV series)
The Amazing Race is an American reality game show in which teams of two or four race around the world against other teams, with the first-place team winning $1,000,000. As the original version of the Amazing Race franchise, the CBS program has been running since 2001 and is airing its nineteenth...
has aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 2001 and has earned twelve Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
s, including every award from 2003 to 2011, except in 2010, for "Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program is a Primetime Emmy Award given out during the primetime telecast since 2003.The Amazing Race won consecutively every year since the category's inception until Top Chef ended its streak in 2010...
" (Top Chef
Top Chef
Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
won in 2010). Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-award-winning New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
television personality, Phil Keoghan
Phil Keoghan
Philip John "Phil" Keoghan is a New Zealand-born television personality, best known for hosting the U.S. version of The Amazing Race on CBS, since its 2001 debut. He is also the creator and host of No Opportunity Wasted, which has been produced in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada...
, has been the host of the show since its inception. The show has branched out to include a number of international versions following a similar format.
The Race
- Unless otherwise indicated, the seasons refer to the American versionThe Amazing Race (U.S. TV series)The Amazing Race is an American reality game show in which teams of two or four race around the world against other teams, with the first-place team winning $1,000,000. As the original version of the Amazing Race franchise, the CBS program has been running since 2001 and is airing its nineteenth...
of the series, hosted by Phil KeoghanPhil KeoghanPhilip John "Phil" Keoghan is a New Zealand-born television personality, best known for hosting the U.S. version of The Amazing Race on CBS, since its 2001 debut. He is also the creator and host of No Opportunity Wasted, which has been produced in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada...
.
Teams
Typically, each cycle of the Race features eleven teams. The teams represent a wide demographic of different ages, races, and sexual orientationSexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
s. Each team is composed of two people with a pre-existing relationship, such as dating, married, and divorced couples (both heterosexual
Heterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
and homosexual
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
); relatives, including sibling
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
s and parents and children; lifelong friends; sports team colleagues; and co-workers. The dynamics of the relationship under the stress of competition is a focus of the show, and are often described by the teams during interviews held before, during, and after the teams have raced, and through discussion with the show's host when they arrive at the Pit Stop. The stress of racing with one's partner, staying ahead of the competition, completing the assigned tasks, and dealing with little sleep or luxury combined to create "killer fatigue", a phrase coined by fans of the show, and often a team's inability to cope with the fatigue is what is ultimately responsible for a team's elimination from the Race.
Original Race rules required that teammates have had a pre-existing relationship longer than three years, and no previous acquaintances with other racers during that cycle. However, these requirements have been dropped in some cases; Dustin and Kandice from Seasons 10
The Amazing Race 10
The Amazing Race 10 is the tenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 10 features twelve teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world....
and 11
The Amazing Race 11
The Amazing Race 11 is the 11th installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race...
, knew each other from the beauty pageant circuit, and from Seasons 9
The Amazing Race 9
The Amazing Race 9 is the ninth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. This season featured eleven teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world to win one million dollars. The show premiered on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 and concluded on...
and 11, Eric and Danielle, met on the Race and had begun dating, when asked to be on the All-Star Season. Individual racers must be of a specific nationality and meet specific age requirements; this is necessary to allow teams to obtain the necessary passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
documentation to travel across the world without incident.
The team format has varied in some seasons. Four seasons featured twelve teams of two, while the "Family Edition"
The Amazing Race 8
The Amazing Race 8 is the eighth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race...
featured ten teams of four players and included young children.
Unseen by the viewer most of the time, teams are accompanied by a two-man audio and video production crew that records the team as they race, and must be able to travel with the team members. The production crews are switched among teams each leg to avoid familiarity.
Money
At the beginning of each leg of the race, each team receives an allowanceAllowance (money)
An allowance is an amount of money set aside for a designated purpose.Allowing another person to have some money is often referred to as an allowance.-Construction contracting:...
with their first clue, from which all expenses (food, transportation, lodging, attraction admission, and supplies) must be purchased during the leg. Selected tasks have also required the teams to use their money to complete the task. However, teams are given a credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
which they must use to purchase airline tickets (and in the case of the "Family Edition", the purchase of gasoline). While early seasons of the US version of the show allowed for teams to use the credit card to reserve flights outside of an airport or travel agency, recent seasons have prohibited this use.
Allowance money is usually given in the same currency as the show's nation regardless of location; US versions of the Race will provide racers with U.S. dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
. In one exception, teams were given money in the currency of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
at the start of that leg. The amount of money varies from leg to leg, and has ranged from hundreds of dollars to nothing. Teams are allowed to keep any unused money for future race legs, barring certain penalties for finishing last.
If team members spend all of their money or have it taken away in a non-elimination leg, they may try to get more money in any way that does not violate the local laws. This includes borrowing money from other teams, begging from locals or selling their possessions. Since Season 7
The Amazing Race 7
The Amazing Race 7 is the seventh installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 7 features 11 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world...
, teams have been prevented from begging at United States airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s. Additionally, teams may not use their personal possessions to barter
Barter
Barter is a method of exchange by which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. It is usually bilateral, but may be multilateral, and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a...
payment for services.
Teams have reported on the existence of an emergency fund of approximately US$200 that is carried by their crew and can only be used in extreme circumstances, but generally not as a means to pay for any activity related to the race. However, the exact amount is not known, nor are the exact circumstances when it can be used.
Route markers
Route Markers are uniquely-colored flags that mark the places where teams must go. Most Route Markers are attached to the boxes that contain clue envelopes, but some may mark the place where the teams must go in order to complete tasks, or may be used to line a courseCourse (navigation)
In navigation, a vehicle's course is the angle that the intended path of the vehicle makes with a fixed reference object . Typically course is measured in degrees from 0° clockwise to 360° in compass convention . Course is customarily expressed in three digits, using preliminary zeros if needed,...
that the teams must follow.
The original Route Markers used in Season 1
The Amazing Race 1
The Amazing Race is the first installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race...
were colored yellow and white. They were changed to yellow and red in The Amazing Race 2
The Amazing Race 2
The Amazing Race 2 is the second installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 2 featured 11 teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world...
, which has remained the standard Route Markers color scheme thereafter. Occasionally, different color schemes are adopted for certain legs, seasons, or versions of the race.
Clues
When teams start a leg, arrive at Route Markers, or complete certain tasks, they normally receive a letter-sized tear-away envelope that contains their next clue inside a vertical-fold folderFile folder
A file folder is a kind of folder that holds loose papers together for organization and protection. File folders usually consist of a sheet of heavy paper stock or other thin, but stiff, material which is folded in half, and are used to keep paper documents...
. The clues themselves are typically printed on a vertical
Vertical direction
In astronomy, geography, geometry and related sciences and contexts, a direction passing by a given point is said to be vertical if it is locally aligned with the gradient of the gravity field, i.e., with the direction of the gravitational force at that point...
strip of paper, although additional information is often provided inside the clue folder. After retrieving the clue, teams open the envelope and read aloud the instructions given on the clue sheet and then follow those instructions. Teams are generally required to collect each clue during each leg and keep that information with them until they reach the next Pit Stop, surrendering them once they have checked in.
At Route Markers, clue envelopes are placed inside a box mounted to the Marker. In early seasons, the box contained exactly the number of clues for teams on that leg, allowing teams to indirectly determine their current placement in the leg by counting envelopes. In more recent seasons, extra envelopes are left in clue boxes to prevent this from occurring.
In some cases, clues - most often Route Markers - have been provided by more unorthodox
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
means, such as in an advertisement in a local newspaper or on some item related to the task just performed. A common unorthodox means in the US version is to place the clue at the bottom of the Roaming Gnome, the mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
of Travelocity
Travelocity
Travelocity is an online travel agency and wholly owned subsidiary of Sabre Holdings Corporation, which was a publicly traded company until taken private by Silver Lake Partners and Texas Pacific Group in March 2007...
, the sponsor of the US version.
Route Information
Route Information clues instruct the teams where to go next. Such a clue usually provides only the name of the team's next destination; it is up to the teams to figure out how to get there. A notable exception occurs during the first leg of most seasons, wherein teams are provided with a list of two or three "pre-arranged" flights (in the sense that production guarantees that there are enough tickets for all teams spread out among the flights provided) from which teams must travel. In addition, when traveling to some hard to reach destinations, teams may be provided with airline tickets for a specific flight. However, in this situation, teams are still permitted to search for other flights and are not prohibited from booking tickets for a better flight than the one provided. Route Information clues may specify how the teams have to travel (such as by foot, by train, or by air), and instruct teams what type of location to travel to (such as a specific location in another city or country, another location within the team's present city, the Pit Stop of the leg, or the Finish Line of the race). Route Information clues have also provided cryptic clues about the next location, leaving teams to figure out where they must go. For example, teams have been given a small country flag and told to fly to that country, or have been told to travel to the "westernmost point in mainland EuropeCabo da Roca
Cabo da Roca is a cape which forms the westernmost extent of mainland Portugal and continental Europe...
". In some cases, Route Information clues will require all teams to complete a non-Detour
Detour
Detour may refer to:* Detour, a temporary routing to avoid an obstruction-Entertainment:Literature* Detour , a 1939 novel* Detour , an entertainment and fashion magazine published by the Detour Media GroupFilm and television...
, non-Roadblock
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events*Police chase*Robbery*Sobriety checkpoint...
task before getting the clue to their next destination, such as taking part in a ceremonial observation. If a team goes to the next destination using the wrong type of transport, they will get a 30-minute penalty at the pit stop.
Detour
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
s or pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s, such as "Plow" / "Fowl" to differentiate between a task involving plowing against a task involving corral
Corral
Corral is a town, commune and sea port in Los Ríos Region, Chile. It is located south of Corral Bay. Corral is best known for the forts of Corral Bay, a system of defensive batteries and forts made to protect Valdivia during colonial times. Corral was the headquarters of the system...
ling ducks. Teams are given several details about both tasks, but may need to travel a short distance by foot or car to the different task locations. Typically, one task is less physically demanding than the other but is tedious or requires some amount of time or thinking to complete, while the other is usually a more physically demanding or frightening option that, depending on the team's ability, may take less time to complete. The decision about which task to attempt lies solely with the team. A team may choose to switch tasks as many times as they wish with no penalty other than the time lost in attempting the tasks and traveling between task locations. Unless otherwise instructed, teams can work together to finish a Detour option. Once a team has completed one of the tasks, they are given the clue to their next location. If a team does not complete a detour, they will get a 6-hour penalty.
Roadblock
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
his or her partner rides, or helping his or her partner solve a puzzle. Normally, once the racer completes the Roadblock, the team receives their clue to the next Route Marker.
Early seasons allowed teams to distribute the Roadblocks between the team members as they desired, which allowed one team member to do nearly all the Roadblocks. This was changed in Season 6
The Amazing Race 6
The Amazing Race 6 is the sixth installment of the reality television series The Amazing Race. It premiered on November 16, 2004, and concluded on February 8, 2005.Freddy Holliday & Kendra Bentley were the winners of this Race....
, which limited a single teammate to a maximum number of Roadblocks s/he could complete, thus forcing his or her partner to perform roughly half of the Roadblocks, as well. Subsequent seasons have not explicitly stated this rule but teams have maintained an even distribution of Roadblocks throughout the Race. Racers can be heard saying they've done "all my Roadblocks" or "saving the last one". In Season 9, the Roadblock limit was increased to a maximum of seven which can lead to a 6-6 or 5-7 distribution. In Season 18, the rule was further modified; in this season, team members could not complete more than five roadblocks prior to the final leg (This season featured two roadblocks in the final leg, so all of the final three team members would complete six roadblocks). The only time the limit was not enforced was during the "Family Edition", wherein some Roadblocks required two people from each 4-person team to participate. If a team does not complete a roadblock, they will get a 4-hour penalty.
Roadblock twist
Some seasons have a twist for roadblocks. The first one is an intersection roadblock where the roadblock appears with an intersection where the two teams work together to perform the task. This twist appeared only once. The second twist is where two roadblocks occur in the same single-length leg, aka a "double roadblock leg" where all members must complete the roadblock.While one member performs the first roadblock the other member does the second roadblock. This twist appeared three times in the race.
Season 16
The Amazing Race 16
The Amazing Race 16 is the sixteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 16 features eleven teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
is the only season both two twists appeared in the same season. In leg 4, the intersection Roadblock appeared while leg 10 was the double roadblock leg.
Season 18
The Amazing Race 18
The Amazing Race 18 is the eighteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 18 features eleven teams of two – each returning from a previous edition – in a race around the world for a $1 million prize.The eighteenth cycle started on Sunday,...
had the double roadblock leg in its final leg. Season 19
The Amazing Race 19
The Amazing Race 19 is the nineteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 19 features several teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world. The 19th season premiered on September 25, 2011.The nineteenth cycle started on...
's leg 5 was also a double roadblock leg.
Fast Forward
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
all remaining tasks in the leg and proceed directly to the Pit Stop. The Fast Forward clue is given with another task clue (usually a Roadblock or Detour) and is a separate task from the others. Only one team may complete a Fast Forward in any given leg, and a team may only complete one Fast Forward in the entire Race. The exception to this rule is in seasons wherein the Fast Forward is offered in conjunction with the Intersection, in which case a team may win the Fast Forward both as an individual team and as a team working with another as part of the Intersection instructions. Teams that win the Fast Forward are not guaranteed a first-place finish for that leg and still face elimination if they arrive at the Pit Stop last.
Multiple teams may undertake Fast Forward tasks, but only the first team to complete the task gets credit.
Fast Forwards were initially offered on every leg of the Race, including some that were not shown if no one took the task or if all remaining teams had won their Fast Forward. The number of Fast Forwards available has since been reduced to two on each Race since Season 5
The Amazing Race 5
The Amazing Race 5 is the fifth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 5 featured 11 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
, and then down to one since Season 14, to reduce the costs of providing Fast Forward tasks that would not be taken. Season 14 did not air the Fast Forward because no one had opted to perform the Fast Forward in that race. Season 18 was the first American season to not offer a Fast Forward.
Yield
The Amazing Race 5
The Amazing Race 5 is the fifth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 5 featured 11 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
, allows any one team to force another team to stop racing for a predetermined amount of time. The Yield Marker is placed near a Route Marker, and teams are forced to stop at it to state their intentions to employ the Yield. The clue would say "Caution: Yield ahead!" If a team Yielded another team, they would place a photo of the Yielded team, along with a "Courtesy of" photo of themselves, on the stand. When the Yielded team arrived at the Yield, they would then turn over an hourglass
Hourglass
An hourglass measures the passage of a few minutes or an hour of time. It has two connected vertical glass bulbs allowing a regulated trickle of material from the top to the bottom. Once the top bulb is empty, it can be inverted to begin timing again. The name hourglass comes from historically...
and wait for the sand to drain before they could continue to the Route Marker. A team may only use its Yield power once on the race, and only one team may be Yielded when the Yield is available, although a team may be Yielded multiple times during the same Race. If a team loses its "Courtesy of" photo, it loses its Yield power. If the team that is Yielded has already passed the Yield, the Yield is nullified.
During Season 5, teams were not aware of the upcoming Yield. In subsequent seasons, clues have alerted teams that a Yield would be present at the next Route Marker. Yields were present in every leg except the last of Season 5, while only three were present in Seasons 6 through 8, and two in Seasons 9 through 11. Yields have not been present in the US Race since Season 11 after a revised format of the clue, the U-Turn. Yields are still present within the foreign editions.
The second season of Israeli
HaMerotz LaMillion 2
HaMerotz LaMillion 2 will be the second installment of the Israeli version of the American reality show The Amazing Race. The series features 11 teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world to win ₪1,000,000....
version has a different format of the Yield where, at the start of the leg, each team votes for who should receive the Yield. The team with the most votes is forced to complete the yield.
U-Turn
The Amazing Race 12
The Amazing Race 12 is the twelfth installment of winning reality television show The Amazing Race.The 12th season premiered on November 4, 2007 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. It took the timeslot of the canceled CBS series Viva Laughlin. The finale aired on January 20, 2008 at 8 p.m...
as a replacement of the Yield, is similar in format to the Yield; however, it is always placed immediately after a Detour. After completing their Detour option, a team may use their U-Turn ability to force another team to backtrack and complete the Detour option they did not previously complete. Like the Yield, the team placing the U-Turn places a photo of the team they are penalizing along with their own "Courtesy Of" photo on the U-Turn marker stand. Also, if a team has lost their "Courtesy Of" photo, they will be unable to use their U-Turn power for the remainder of the Race. It is possible for a team to U-Turn a team that has already passed the U-Turn (or skipped it by means of a Fast Forward), nullifying its effects, and usually the U-Turn will be unaired on television. A team can only use their U-Turn power once per Race. Teams are warned of an upcoming U-Turn on the Route Marker after the Detour clue. If there are both a U-Turn and a Fast Forward available in the same leg, or if the U-Turn is a Double U-Turn, teams will be made aware that a U-Turn will be available "at some point" during the leg when they leave the Pit Stop, since the team taking the Fast Forward option will have skipped the Detour as well as the U-Turn marker, except when the Detour comes before the Fast Forward. Season 15
The Amazing Race 15
The Amazing Race 15 is the fifteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 15 featured 12 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
was the first and currently the only season not to air a U-Turn, since this mechanism was introduced.
Starting in Season 14
The Amazing Race 14
The Amazing Race 14 is the fourteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 14 featured 11 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
, teams were met with a new variation of the U-Turn called a "Blind U-Turn." If teams use a Blind U-Turn, they do not have to publicly reveal themselves as the perpetrators with their "Courtesy Of" photo.
From Season 17
The Amazing Race 17
The Amazing Race 17 is the seventeenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 17 features 11 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
, a "Double U-Turn" was introduced, in which two teams can each choose a team to U-Turn. Teams are notified in the first clue of the Double U-Turn leg that it will occur "at some point". Once the team completes their detour, the next clue will mention "Caution: Double U-Turn ahead". A team can only U-Turn once, and a team cannot be U-Turned twice in the same leg. In addition, a U-Turned team can U-Turn another team, and this can be done before they complete their extra detour branch.
Season 18
The Amazing Race 18
The Amazing Race 18 is the eighteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 18 features eleven teams of two – each returning from a previous edition – in a race around the world for a $1 million prize.The eighteenth cycle started on Sunday,...
introduced an "automatic U-Turn", where the team who came in last in the starting line task would have to do both tasks of the first Detour (which was not incurred until leg 2).
The second season of Israeli
HaMerotz LaMillion 2
HaMerotz LaMillion 2 will be the second installment of the Israeli version of the American reality show The Amazing Race. The series features 11 teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world to win ₪1,000,000....
version has a different format of the U-Turn where, at the start of the leg, each team votes for who should receive the U-Turn. The team with the most votes is forced to complete both of the Detour tasks upon arriving at the Detour.
In Season 19
The Amazing Race 19
The Amazing Race 19 is the nineteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 19 features several teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world. The 19th season premiered on September 25, 2011.The nineteenth cycle started on...
, the U-Turn sign had a complete makeover, similar to the Speed Bump. In the past, teams were required to carry their "Courtesy Of" photo, and grab a sticker from the box and stick them on the sign. This time, a large touch screen and a small touch screen were on the U-Turn sign (two sets in a Double U-Turn). Here, teams had to touch their own photo (on the small screen) and another team (on the large screen) to use their U-Turn power. This meant that teams didn't have to carry a "Courtesy Of" photo throughout the race. When choosing the teams, the users are aware which teams are still in the race, and which ones are eliminated to avoid wasting their U-Turn power.
Intersection
The Amazing Race Australia
The Amazing Race Australia is an Australian reality television game show based on the American reality television series, The Amazing Race that is broadcast on the Seven Network. The series features eleven teams of two who are in a pre-existing personal relationship, and follow the various...
featured two separate Intersections during its run, with the second Intersection having a unique set of penalties for quitting part way through the task.
The second season of the Latin American version
The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel 2
The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel 2 is the second installment of The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel, the Latin American edition of the reality television show The Amazing Race...
also featured a task called an Intersection, but the rules were extremely different from the American and Australian Intersections. When two teams reached the Intersection, they competed against each other in a task. The winning team was given their next clue, while the losing team had to wait for the next team's arrival to start the task over; the last team to lose had to wait 15 minutes before receiving their clue. this was added in the second season for the Israeli version but it was known as a double battle
Structure
Each leg of The Amazing Race generally consists of teams leaving from the previous Pit Stop and traveling to a different location (often in a different country), where they perform two or more tasks, generally including one Detour and one Roadblock, before being given instructions to the next Pit Stop. When teams are otherwise not performing tasks or traveling during a leg, they are free to use their time as they see fit, although they will often resort to eating cheaply or sleeping outside a location to save their Race money.Start Line Task
The start line task is a task that takes place at the starting line. It was introduced in season 15 and used later in seasons 18 and 19. Teams usually have to find the name of the first location in a puzzle or find an item related to the first location (i.e. a number plate). The last team to finsh the task gets a penalty (seasons 18 and 19) or is eliminated (season 15).Express Pass
The Express Pass, introduced in Season 17
The Amazing Race 17
The Amazing Race 17 is the seventeenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 17 features 11 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
, which given the prize for first leg allows a team to skip any one task (including Roadblocks, Detours and miscellaneous tasks) during the race. If a team used the express pass to skip a detour and that team is U-Turned, the U-Turn is void. The choice of which task to skip is at the team's discretion, but the power, if unused, expires at the end of the eighth leg. If a team is eliminated with the Express Pass still in hand, the pass will be given to the team who comes in first place that leg. The Australian edition of the program
The Amazing Race Australia
The Amazing Race Australia is an Australian reality television game show based on the American reality television series, The Amazing Race that is broadcast on the Seven Network. The series features eleven teams of two who are in a pre-existing personal relationship, and follow the various...
has also incorporated the Express Pass into its game.
Hazard
The Hazard, introduced in Season 19
The Amazing Race 19
The Amazing Race 19 is the nineteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 19 features several teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world. The 19th season premiered on September 25, 2011.The nineteenth cycle started on...
, is a penalty applied to the team who came in last at the starting line task. After completing a task (in Season 19 it was a Roadblock), the team was given a different clue that directed them to another location where they found the Hazard clue. The Hazard consisted of a task that only one of the team members had to perform.
Several sources have reported that the Hazard will affect the team throughout the Race; this contrasts with an interview American host Phil Keoghan had to promote the new season, where it only affected the team on the first leg. This built off of Season 18
The Amazing Race 18
The Amazing Race 18 is the eighteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 18 features eleven teams of two – each returning from a previous edition – in a race around the world for a $1 million prize.The eighteenth cycle started on Sunday,...
's starting task, where the penalty was an automatic U-Turn at only the first Detour.
Check-in Mat
In later seasons, the team that arrives first at the mat during any leg besides the last will receive a prize, often trips, personal vehicles, or cash that they can "enjoy after the race". Teams may arrive simultaneously at the mat, which in some seasons has been treated as a tie with any prizes awarded from placement being given to all teams, while in others, has required teams to determine their finish order, with only one team winning placement prize. In this case, the teams will start the next leg one minute apart from each other.
One or more local greeters are present at the mat along with the host, and welcome the team to their country. During the first US season, host Keoghan only appeared with the greeters when the final team arrived to eliminate them. The mat itself is a bathmat-sized map of the world, though during US season 1 and some points during other races, the mat was decorated to represent the local culture.
As each team is checked in, the host will typically conduct a short interview, or a "Mat Chat", with the teams at the mat. Teams are then taken to the Pit Stop lodgings before the next team checks in. Often, in a tight race, multiple teams will arrive at the mat within a few seconds or minutes of each other, and the host will interview them all before they are taken to the lodgings. During the first US season, teams were seen loitering near the Pit Stop, and thus would see the arrival of other teams.
If a team is unable to complete an elimination leg due to injury, or are still performing tasks well long after all other teams have been checked-in, the host may go out to the team and announce their elimination. Alternatively, teams may be given a clue that instructs them to go directly to the Pit Stop, bypassing any other tasks that may have been on the leg, where they will be eliminated.
Pit Stops
Pit Stops are the final destination in each leg of the race, and where all non-eliminated teams go after checking in at the mat. Each Pit Stop is a mandatory rest period which allows teams to "eat, sleep, and mingle" with each other. The production staff provides lodging (from simple accommodations as tents or cots to complete hotel service) and food free of charge to the teams at the Pit Stops. During the Pit Stop, teams are also interviewed to provide commentary and voiceovers for the completed leg. While teams are restricted to where they can go, teams are free to use the remaining time for any purpose as they see fit. In recent seasons of the U.S. version of the Race, teams have reported that they have been sequestered from other teams during Pit Stops. During Pit Stops, racers are sometimes required to relinquish Race-provided material from the previous legs, including clues, maps, and additional instructions. Teams are responsible for being ready to leave when their Pit Stop time is over, and no time credit is given should a team miss their time to leave.Pit Stops, mostly in earlier seasons, are normally twelve hours long, such that if a team arrived at 9:00 a.m., they will depart on the next leg at 9:00 p.m. When the show encounters production issues or if planned ahead of time, the pit stop is often extended by multiples of 24 hours, such that teams will still leave what appears to be 12 hours later to the television viewer. However, viewers have been able to use dates and times displayed during the show and post-Race interviews to determine where these extended Pit Stops occur and their approximate length. Beginning with Season 8, the Pit Stops have included ones of various lengths between 12 and 24 hours as to prevent teams from loitering at airports or finding flights that may get them too much of a lead on other teams. One major clue when this occurs is when Phil does not indicate an arrival time for team departing first. The longest known Pit Stop occurred during the first US season when production was forced to relocate the Pit Stop in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
due to a sandstorm. This was the first instance of a "mobile pit stop", which also appeared in Seasons 3
The Amazing Race 3
The Amazing Race 3 is the third installment of the reality television show, The Amazing Race. This season featured 12 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world, making it the first season to have 12 teams...
, 15
The Amazing Race 15
The Amazing Race 15 is the fifteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 15 featured 12 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
, 16
The Amazing Race 16
The Amazing Race 16 is the sixteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 16 features eleven teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
, and 18
The Amazing Race 18
The Amazing Race 18 is the eighteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 18 features eleven teams of two – each returning from a previous edition – in a race around the world for a $1 million prize.The eighteenth cycle started on Sunday,...
where teams have been transported to another location during the pit stop, without any knowledge of their final destination.
Double-length legs
Some Races have included a double-length leg, also called "to be continuedTo Be Continued
To Be Continued... is a 4 CD/4 cassette box set detailing Elton John's music from his days with Bluesology to the then-present day. Four new songs were recorded for the box set...
" legs, shown over two episodes or a single two-hour long episode, where teams are not checked in at a Pit Stop but instead given a clue to continue racing. The clues that precede the mid-point of the double-length leg often will hint at a Pit Stop but will not include the normal language found in clues for normal-length legs that direct teams to the Pit Stop. In some cases, the host has been present along with the check-in mat to give teams their next clues. Double-length race legs were born out of necessity during Season 6
The Amazing Race 6
The Amazing Race 6 is the sixth installment of the reality television series The Amazing Race. It premiered on November 16, 2004, and concluded on February 8, 2005.Freddy Holliday & Kendra Bentley were the winners of this Race....
. Leg 6 in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
was originally planned to be two legs, with a non-elimination point between the legs which would have stripped the last team of their money and not given them any at the start of the next leg. Producers discovered during the race that begging is illegal in Hungary, which would have made it nearly impossible for the last place team to acquire the money needed for the upcoming leg, and quickly devised the extended leg to mimic the effects of a non-elimination leg (keeping the same number of teams in the race), and using a simple video message clue to provide teams the goal for the first task of the second half of the leg.
More double-length legs were shown from Season 7
The Amazing Race 7
The Amazing Race 7 is the seventh installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 7 features 11 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world...
to Season 10
The Amazing Race 10
The Amazing Race 10 is the tenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 10 features twelve teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world....
, Season 14
The Amazing Race 14
The Amazing Race 14 is the fourteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 14 featured 11 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
and season 1 of the Australian verson. It has also been shown on Season 18
The Amazing Race 18
The Amazing Race 18 is the eighteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 18 features eleven teams of two – each returning from a previous edition – in a race around the world for a $1 million prize.The eighteenth cycle started on Sunday,...
on two legs as of March 20, 2011 (see No-break legs section), and one leg on Season 19
The Amazing Race 19
The Amazing Race 19 is the nineteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 19 features several teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world. The 19th season premiered on September 25, 2011.The nineteenth cycle started on...
which was in Leg 9. In addition, the season finale of the Family Edition
The Amazing Race 8
The Amazing Race 8 is the eighth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race...
contained a double-length leg similar to Season 6. This was repeated in Season 2
The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel 2
The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel 2 is the second installment of The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel, the Latin American edition of the reality television show The Amazing Race...
of the Latin American edition; however, the final leg was broadcast as two different episodes.
Non-elimination legs
A number of legs on each Race are predetermined "non-elimination legs", where the last team to check-in is not eliminated. Up through US Season 4, there was no penalty for finishing last on a non-elimination leg; this was repeated on one of the legs in Season 17 (though this was due to a production error.) In Seasons 5 through 9, the last team to check in was stripped of all their money and were not given any money at the start of the next leg, forcing that team to literally beg for money from the local population of the city they were in for such expenses as cab, bus or train fare. In addition, from Seasons 7 through 9, these teams would also be forced to give up all their bags, leaving them with only the clothes on their backs and the fanny-pack teams use to carry their passports and Race documentation; this last penalty caused many teams, thinking themselves to be in last, to wear as much clothing as possible before checking in. In Seasons 10 and 11 and most international versons, teams that came in last on non-elimination legs were "marked for elimination"; if they did not come in first on the subsequent leg, they would receive a 30 minute penalty upon check-in at the mat and other trailing teams could check in before the 30 minute penalty expires and they could ultimately be eliminated from the race.In early US seasons, clues that directed teams to Pit Stops could be used to infer if that leg was a non-elimination leg; the normal language that ended each Pit Stop clue—"The last team to check in will be eliminated."—was replaced with "may be eliminated". In later seasons of the Race "may" was used in all legs except the first leg. Since Season 15, most clues leading to the Pit Stop have used the term may be eliminated, including the first leg, as the first leg in Season 15 was a non-elimination leg. Occasionally, the second-to-last leg may use the term will be eliminated when there are no more non-elimination legs left in the Race before reaching the Finish Line. If there is a double-elimination leg, the term will be eliminated will be used since teams are notified in their first clue that the leg will be double-elimination.
Non-elimination legs give trailing teams a incentive to stay competitive; since there is a chance they might not be eliminated, they will continue to complete tasks and get to the Pit Stop as quickly as possible, to keep from falling further behind.
No-break legs
In the "Unfinished Business" season (U.S. season 18The Amazing Race 18
The Amazing Race 18 is the eighteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 18 features eleven teams of two – each returning from a previous edition – in a race around the world for a $1 million prize.The eighteenth cycle started on Sunday,...
), racers encountered a new type of non-elimination leg twice. Prior to arriving at the Pit Stop mat, teams were told simply to head to the Pit Stop. When the first team arrived, they were given a prize for completing the leg first, but Phil told them that they had to keep racing. In addition, the team (or teams) in last place would not be shown finishing that leg until the following episode, where they would be told that they are in last but that they are to keep racing. This was used on the race's first and fourth legs.It shown again this type of twist in the nineteenth edition during Leg 9.
Surprise-elimination legs / Double elimination legs
There have been two surprise eliminations outside of the Leg's Pit Stop in the Amazing Race's broadcast history. The first occurred in season 10The Amazing Race 10
The Amazing Race 10 is the tenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 10 features twelve teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world....
where the last team to check in at designated midpoint in the first leg was eliminated. This leg also featured a regular elimination at the Pit Stop. Season 15
The Amazing Race 15
The Amazing Race 15 is the fifteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 15 featured 12 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
featured another surprise elimination in its first Leg, where only 11 sets of tickets were available to the first destination city, and the Race began with twelve teams. After eleven teams completed the task at the starting line and received tickets, the last team remaining was eliminated; at the Pit Stop later, the last team was not eliminated. Season 19
The Amazing Race 19
The Amazing Race 19 is the nineteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 19 features several teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world. The 19th season premiered on September 25, 2011.The nineteenth cycle started on...
featured the first "true" double-elimination leg in the second leg, where two teams were eliminated at the same time at the Pit Stop.
Final leg
The final leg of the race is run by the three remaining teams. In earlier US seasons, the leg was a non-elimination or double-length leg, with an intermediate destination in or near the host country (such as HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
or Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for the US version or South East Asia or the Pacific Islands for the Australian version) prior to traveling to the final city back in the host country. However, in more recent Races, final legs have been single legs, whereby teams are flown directly from the final foreign country to the final city in the host country.
Teams still must complete all tasks in the final city before they are directed to the finish mat. At the check-in mat, the host and the other eliminated teams celebrate the arrival of the teams. Generally all three teams are allowed to arrive. In rare cases, a trailing team may be so far behind and outside the final city that they are given a clue at their next Route Marker that informs them of the Race results. To date, this has only happened twice in the US version, occurring in Seasons 1 and 4.
Rules and penalties
All teams must abide by the rules set at the beginning of the race. Failure to do so can result in time penalties, which can negatively affect finishing position in that leg of the race. In a non-elimination leg, if the last team to arrive at the mat is checked in before a previous team has completed its penalty, then the remainder of the penalty time will be waited out at the start of the next leg of the race, beginning at the departure time of the next-to-last team.While the complete set of official rules has not been released to the public, certain rules have been revealed during the various editions of the race:
Rules
- Unless otherwise stated, such as during Roadblocks, team members must stay within twenty feet of each other and stay close to their assigned camera and sound crew. When using any form of transportation, unless otherwise stated, teams must be able to travel with the camera crew. Teams are recorded requesting only two tickets after they have made their initial request for four.
- Teams are required to purchase economy class airfare when they fly, using the credit card provided by the show. Teams may ask the airlines before or during flight to upgrade their tickets to first or business class as long as they only paid the economy fare. Teams may use their cash stipend to purchase first-class fares for other modes of transportation. Teams may be forbidden from flying on certain airlines or restricted to specific airlines in some cases.
- Teams are forbidden contact with friends, family, and acquaintances during the Race, though the Race may provide them with an opportunity to make contact at select times. Unless otherwise stated by the clues, teams are allowed to use the help of locals for navigating and during tasks. Teams are required to have any locals who appear on camera sign release forms that legally clear the footage for use; some teams have avoided or reduced contacts with random local strangers because the release process can take a very long time to complete.
- Teams are free to work together at any point unless otherwise stated by the rules. Excluding the use of the Yield and U-Turn, teams are forbidden from hindering the performance of other teams such as by taking extra clues from a clue box, taking another team's assigned vehicle, or altering the equipment for other teams at a task.
- Teams are forbidden from possessing maps, guidebooks, cell phones, personal digital assistants and other similar aids at the start of the Race, but may use the provided money to purchase these as they progress. These may be provided by the show if required for a certain task.
- Teams are not allowed to use their personal items to barter for services on the race, though they are not necessarily forbidden from selling them for cash. The teams' bags may be subject to review during Pit Stops by production. Teams are free to sell or barter any items they have purchased during the course of the race.
- In cases where teams are instructed to walk or drive themselves to a destination, teams are not allowed to hire a taxi to guide or take them through the route. In early seasons of the American series, teams frequently employed this tactic; several exchanges of dialogue in Season 17The Amazing Race 17The Amazing Race 17 is the seventeenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 17 features 11 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
indicate that this is now forbidden. - Teams are expected to keep the Race fanny packFanny packA fanny pack , belt pack , belly bag , Buffalo pouch , hip sack , waist bag , hip pack , bum bag , cangurera , banano or moon bag is a small fabric pouch secured with a zipper and worn by use of a strap around the hips or...
containing their cash, passports, clues, and other documents with them at all times. Teams that do not have these upon check-in at a Pit Stop are required to go back and retrieve the pack and any missing mandatory contents (e.g., passports) before being checked in. Teams may check in after losing or abandoning any non-mandatory items (e.g., items of clothing), but they must continue the race without them. - Teams must complete each challenge as specified by the clues given to them throughout the Race. Should a team fail to properly complete a challenge, violate any provisions made in a clue or task description, or miss a clue altogether (unless specifically allowed to do so, e.g., by winning the Fast Forward, or by using an Express Pass), they must either go back to the location of the challenge and complete the challenge, or incur a penalty when they check in (see Penalties and time credits below).
- Teams are prohibited from begging where it is illegal. On the U.S. version, teams are additionally prohibited from begging at US airports.
- Racers may not smoke on the Race.
- Teams are required to abide by all local laws of the country in which they are racing.
The teams are often given additional rules and instructions that apply specifically to a given leg or to a task supplied with one of the clues; these are usually not explained to the viewer unless they affect the Race results.
Penalties and time credits
Normally the standard penalty for rule infractions is 30 minutes plus the time gained (if any) by breaking the rule. Other penalty times include but are not limited to two hours for bartering goods for services, up to four hours for not completing any or all parts of a miscellaneous task, four hours for not completing a Roadblock or a Speed Bump, and twenty-four hours for flying outside of economy class unless the upgrade is complimentary on top of the economy class fare paid. Earlier seasons of the Race enforced a 24 hour penalty for not completing either Detour option, but this was subsequently reduced to six hours at some point for later seasons, first used in The Amazing Race 17. Penalty times are cumulative. If a player is unable to complete the Roadblock, the team is assessed a four hour penalty starting from the time of the arrival of the next team at the Roadblock, after which they are given their next clue to proceed unless they are the last team, in which case their four-hour penalty begins the moment that team gave up on the Roadblock.If the penalty is known before the racers arrive at the check-in mat, they are forced to wait out that time before they can be checked in; if they happen to be the last team on a non-elimination leg, they will be checked in early, but the remaining time will be applied at the start of the next leg. If the penalty is discovered after racers arrive, and does not affect which team is eliminated, it is applied to the start of the next leg, with the viewers given verbal notification if it affects the departure order. In only one case has a penalty altered who would be eliminated and a special announcement of this change to the affected teams was done after production was able to review the results but before the start of the next leg.
Should a vehicle (including cars and boats) break down through no fault of the team using it, a replacement vehicle is provided for them, but "no time credit is given for their wait in this unlucky situation."
Teams may also receive time credits, applied to the next leg, that result from "production difficulties." These are only revealed to the viewer if they affect the placement at the start of the next leg.
Production
The production of The Amazing Race is a challenge due to its premise being a race around the world. Among the difficult duties that producers face, scoping out locations, designing tasks, selecting teams, and planning logistics for the entire course are the most important to accomplish in pre-production. During the Race, the camera crews need to keep up with the movement of the teams and the host. And when the footage for the entire season has been recorded and edited, team members, production crew as well as the local staff who hosted or facilitated the tasks are obliged to keep the details of the race confidential and not leak out anything that hints at locations, events, or outcomes of the Race. A small exception is the television network that airs the show in a country which hosted one of the legs where they can air teasers such as "Who among the teams will come here to (the network's home country name)?" However, in recent American seasons, CBS has released a map to show the locations that the racers would be visiting.The show is broadcast on CBS in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is simulcast via satellite in various networks around the world.
Through its efforts, the American version has received many accolades, including Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
s and nominations in categories for audio and video production and editing. In 2010, CBS announced that the 18th season of the show would be broadcast in high definition.
Season 19 debuted September 25, 2011, and the 20th edition has been slated for spring 2012.
The Amazing Race around the world
The Amazing Race (U.S. TV series)
The Amazing Race is an American reality game show in which teams of two or four race around the world against other teams, with the first-place team winning $1,000,000. As the original version of the Amazing Race franchise, the CBS program has been running since 2001 and is airing its nineteenth...
, which debuted on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in September 2001. In October 2005, CBS optioned The Amazing Race for franchising to other countries. Buena Vista International Television-Asia Pacific (BVITV-AP) and Sony Pictures Television International's AXN
AXN
AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America...
Asia announced an Asian edition of the race, billed as The Amazing Race Asia, that same month. Applications ran from February to the end of March 2006. Filming began in June. Its first season premiered on November 9, 2006 and concluded on February 1, 2007.
During 2005, AXN Central Europe announced a version of the show to be called The Amazing Race Central Europe. Applications were closed with the submission of 2,500 applicants, with filming expected to have occurred in 2006 and broadcast from September 2006. The show has yet to air and has been pulled from AXN's website, fueling rumors of cancellation.
In addition, a South-American independent production company announced in late 2006 that it would be producing a Brazilian version in 2007, to be called The Amazing Race: A Corrida Milionária
The Amazing Race: A Corrida Milionária
The Amazing Race: A Corrida Milionária is a Brazilian version of the popular franchised reality television show The Amazing Race. Hosted by Rony Curvelo, it is independently produced and aired in a purchased time slot in the Brazilian television network RedeTV!...
, and to be aired in a purchased time slot in the Brazilian network RedeTV!. Applications were open from January until July, and filming occurred during August and September. The first and only season premiered on October 13, 2007 and concluded on January 5, 2008.
On April 8, 2008, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i TV network Reshet
Reshet
thumb|right|"Reshet" logoReshet is one of the two concessionaires running the Israeli commercial television channel, Arutz 2 since 1993. Reshet is considered one of the most successful television networks in Israel....
had announced plans to produce the local version of the show, known as HaMerotz LaMillion
HaMerotz LaMillion
HaMerotz LaMillion was the Israeli version of the American reality show The Amazing Race. It was produced by Reshet and premiered on February 5, 2009 on Channel 2 with the season finale on June 11, 2009. The show featured 10 teams of two, with the winning couple won ₪1,000,000...
(The Race to the Million in English). It was shot worldwide and premiered on February 5, 2009. Second season will premiere on October 25, 2011.
On October 15, 2008, a Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n version of the show was announced by the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
Latin America in association with Disney. The show's first season was filmed in early 2009 and broadcast late in that year across Latin America and the Caribbean and the second season aired in late 2010. In January, 2011 it was announced that Space
Space (Latin American TV channel)
Space is an Argentine cable television channel owned by Turner Broadcasting System and Time Warner. It airs movies, series and television shows. It is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina...
aqcuired the rights to produce the third season of The Amazing Race Latin America.
On March, 2010, a Chinese version
The Amazing Race: China Rush
The Amazing Race: China Rush is a Chinese reality television series. Based on the American reality TV series, The Amazing Race, it features 10 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race across 11 cities in China to win a world tour provided by Travelzen...
of the show was announced by the Disney-ABC International Television
Disney-ABC International Television
Disney-ABC International Television is responsible for The Walt Disney Company's branded and non-branded filmed entertainment distribution, now distributing more than 30,000 hours of content to over 1300 broadcasters across 240 territories worldwide.The television distributor licenses movies from...
Asia Pacific. The show was produced by Shanghai based international production company Fly Films
Fly Films
FLY Films is a video production and film production company based in Shanghai, China. The company was started in 2004 by Eric Ransdell and Norman Wong....
; the company had previously produced Shanghai Rush
Shanghai Rush
Shanghai Rush is a Chinese reality television program broadcast by International Channel Shanghai as part of the TV scheduling leading up to the 2010 Shanghai Expo and designed to showcase the city. The series borrowed heavily from the themes of the American reality show The Amazing Race and was...
in 2009, a showed heavily influenced by The Amazing Race. The first series was filmed in March/April 2010 and broadcast in August 2010 by International Channel of Shanghai
Shanghai Media Group
Shanghai Media Group , under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group , is a multimedia television and radio broadcasting, news and Internet company...
.
In mid-2010 it was announced that Australia would be producing its own version
The Amazing Race Australia
The Amazing Race Australia is an Australian reality television game show based on the American reality television series, The Amazing Race that is broadcast on the Seven Network. The series features eleven teams of two who are in a pre-existing personal relationship, and follow the various...
. In November 2010, New Zealand-born actor Grant Bowler
Grant Bowler
Grant Bowler is a New Zealand actor who has worked in American, Australian and New Zealand films and television.He is known for playing the role of Constable Wayne Patterson in Blue Heelers and also appeared as Wilhelmina Slater's love interest Connor Owens in Ugly Betty.In November 2010, he was...
was announced as its host.
On October, 2011 a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
version of the show was announced by TV 2
TV 2 (Norway)
TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway....
. Applications will be opened from October 11, 2011 to October 31, 2011. Filming will take place in January, 2012. Football player Freddy dos Santos will be hosting Amazing Race Norge.
| Local name | Region of origin | Years | Network | Host | Seasons aired |
Countries visited |
Grand prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Amazing Race The Amazing Race (U.S. TV series) The Amazing Race is an American reality game show in which teams of two or four race around the world against other teams, with the first-place team winning $1,000,000. As the original version of the Amazing Race franchise, the CBS program has been running since 2001 and is airing its nineteenth... |
United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
2001–present | CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
Phil Keoghan Phil Keoghan Philip John "Phil" Keoghan is a New Zealand-born television personality, best known for hosting the U.S. version of The Amazing Race on CBS, since its 2001 debut. He is also the creator and host of No Opportunity Wasted, which has been produced in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada... |
19 | 80 | US$ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... 1,000,000 |
| The Amazing Race Asia | Asia Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population... |
2006–present | AXN Asia AXN Asia AXN Asia is a pay-tv, cable and satellite TV channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. It is available in throughout the 18 countries around the Asia-Pacific region... |
Allan Wu Allan Wu Allan Wu is a Singapore-based Chinese-American actor and MTV Asia VJ who is recognized by many people as the host of the Asian version of The Amazing Race.... |
4 | 20 | US$ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... 100,000 |
| The Amazing Race: A Corrida Milionária The Amazing Race: A Corrida Milionária The Amazing Race: A Corrida Milionária is a Brazilian version of the popular franchised reality television show The Amazing Race. Hosted by Rony Curvelo, it is independently produced and aired in a purchased time slot in the Brazilian television network RedeTV!... |
Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
2007–2008 | RedeTV! | Rony Curvelo | 1 | 2 | R$ Brazilian real The real is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos .... 500,000 |
| HaMerotz LaMillion HaMerotz LaMillion HaMerotz LaMillion was the Israeli version of the American reality show The Amazing Race. It was produced by Reshet and premiered on February 5, 2009 on Channel 2 with the season finale on June 11, 2009. The show featured 10 teams of two, with the winning couple won ₪1,000,000... (The Race to the Million) |
Israel Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... |
2009–Present | Channel 2 Channel 2 (Israel) Channel 2 is an Israeli commercial television channel.- History :In 1990, after 13 years of deliberations, the Knesset passed a law that paved the way for the establishment of commercial television in Israel. The goal was to enhance pluralism and create competition. Channel 2 began broadcasting on... – Reshet Reshet thumb|right|"Reshet" logoReshet is one of the two concessionaires running the Israeli commercial television channel, Arutz 2 since 1993. Reshet is considered one of the most successful television networks in Israel.... |
Raz Meirman Raz Meirman Raz Meirman is Israeli male,the host of HaMerotz LaMillion, the Israeli version of The Amazing Race, an American reality show that first aired on CBS in 2001.... (Season 1) Ron Shahar (Season 2) |
2 | 13 | ₪1,000,000 |
| The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel The Amazing Race Latinoamérica |
Latin America Latin America Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area... |
2009–present | Discovery Channel Discovery Channel Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav... – Disney Channel Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in... (2009–2010) Space Space (Latin American TV channel) Space is an Argentine cable television channel owned by Turner Broadcasting System and Time Warner. It airs movies, series and television shows. It is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina... – Disney Channel (2011–) |
Harris Whitbeck Harris Whitbeck Harris Whitbeck is CNN's International Correspondent based in Mexico City, Mexico. He covers key events in Latin America and around the world for CNN Worldwide, including CNN International, CNN en Español, and CNN/U.S.... |
3 | 14 | US$ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... 250,000 |
| The Amazing Race: China Rush The Amazing Race: China Rush The Amazing Race: China Rush is a Chinese reality television series. Based on the American reality TV series, The Amazing Race, it features 10 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race across 11 cities in China to win a world tour provided by Travelzen... |
China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... |
2010–present | ICS International Channel Shanghai International Channel Shanghai, better known as ICS, is the foreign-language cable channel of Shanghai Media Group. Long before the parent company was known as SMG, Shanghai Television Station began producing the English-language “News at Ten” in 1986. On January 1, 2008, ICS replaced the Shanghai... (2010–) Dragon TV (2011–) |
Allan Wu | 2 | 1 | A World Tour |
| The Amazing Race Australia The Amazing Race Australia The Amazing Race Australia is an Australian reality television game show based on the American reality television series, The Amazing Race that is broadcast on the Seven Network. The series features eleven teams of two who are in a pre-existing personal relationship, and follow the various... |
Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
2011–present | Seven Network Seven Network The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach... |
Grant Bowler Grant Bowler Grant Bowler is a New Zealand actor who has worked in American, Australian and New Zealand films and television.He is known for playing the role of Constable Wayne Patterson in Blue Heelers and also appeared as Wilhelmina Slater's love interest Connor Owens in Ugly Betty.In November 2010, he was... |
1 | 11 | A$ Australian dollar The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu... 250,000 |
| The Amazing Race Norway | Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
2012 | TV 2 TV 2 (Norway) TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway.... |
Freddy dos Santos Freddy dos Santos Freddy dos Santos is a Norwegian footballer playing for Vålerenga in the Norwegian Premier League.Dos Santos plays as a defender, midfield and attack... |
TBA | TBA | TBA |
Video game
A video game based on this reality show was developed by LudiaLudia
Ludia is a Canadian video game developer and publisher based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that specializes in games based on board games and game shows for Facebook, iPhone and iPod Touch, Nintendo DS, PC, and Wii...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. It was released on November 2, 2010 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
The game features many locations previously visited on real races, as well as some new ones like Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Host Phil Keoghan provided voice acting throughout the entire game.
Players get to customize their own characters and can race against other, pre-made characters. These existing teams are showcased in the opening, which closely mirrors the actual show's opening (including the use of the same music). However, when playing the actual game, no-one, not even the player, is referred to by name. Instead, teams are differentiated by color (ex. team yellow).
The rules of the race are fairly similar to the actual race. Teams receive money, fly to a location and complete various tasks. The last team to arrive is eliminated, unless they are saved by a non-elimination leg, in which the penalty is the team loses all their money they saved up to that point (unlike the show during seasons 5-9, the teams are still given money at the start of the next leg). However, teams all leave the Pit Stop at the same time. The tasks are represented by a large collection of minigames.
Some of the clues had changes to their rules. The Detour and Roadblock retain their rules, although there is no limit on individual Roadblocks. Fast Forwards appear in the race, but they are not optional. Instead, the team that completes it fastest gets a 2 hour time credit. Also featured alongside the Detour and Roadblock is the Intersection. However, the Intersection's rules are drastically different. It is a task that all teams complete, similar to an additional task on the real race.
The Yield, U-Turn, Speed Bump and Express Pass are not featured in this game.
As an added bonus, completing various tasks and doing certain objectives in the game will unlock "video files." These are selected clips from the actual American TV show. They are mostly extremely dramatic moments (such as when Uchenna & Joyce couldn't pay their taxi driver at the final Pit Stop
The Amazing Race 7
The Amazing Race 7 is the seventh installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 7 features 11 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world...
and Chris & Alex making the closest finish in Amazing Race
The Amazing Race 2
The Amazing Race 2 is the second installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 2 featured 11 teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world...
) or funny moments (such as when Fran & Barry kept walking past a clue that was within arm's length
The Amazing Race 9
The Amazing Race 9 is the ninth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. This season featured eleven teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world to win one million dollars. The show premiered on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 and concluded on...
). The clips appear exactly as they did on TV, except that all logos are pixelated, even those that went uncensored on TV. Clips from seasons 1 to 15 are included.
Ludia
Ludia
Ludia is a Canadian video game developer and publisher based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that specializes in games based on board games and game shows for Facebook, iPhone and iPod Touch, Nintendo DS, PC, and Wii...
also made one for the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, iPod touch
IPod touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
and iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
that is similar to the Wii version.
See also
- Shanghai RushShanghai RushShanghai Rush is a Chinese reality television program broadcast by International Channel Shanghai as part of the TV scheduling leading up to the 2010 Shanghai Expo and designed to showcase the city. The series borrowed heavily from the themes of the American reality show The Amazing Race and was...
- Peking ExpressPeking ExpressPeking Express is a Dutch/Flemish reality game show that follows a series of couples as they hitchhike to or from Beijing . The series has already gone through five seasons. In The Netherlands it is screened by Net 5 and in Belgium by VT4. A German version was shown in 2004...
- Expedition ImpossibleExpedition Impossible (TV series)Expedition Impossible is a 2011 American reality television series. The series follows thirteen teams of three competitors as they "solve problems while racing across deserts, over mountains and through rivers" across the nation of Morocco. The first team to cross the finish line after completing...