The Amazing Race

The Amazing Race is different from other reality shows in that it does not take place in a single dwelling or even a single city, but all around the world. CBS began airing The Amazing Race in 2001 and it has completed elevent seasons and Season 12 is in progress.

The Amazing Race features teams of two people (although there was a family season of four members) that race around the world, with the first team to reach the final destination winning a $1,000,000 prize. Starting in a city in the United States, the teams race around the world searching for clues that lead them to the next checkpoint. Like other reality shows such as Survivor and Big Brother, teams are eliminated. This elimination is normally based on the last team to arrive at a specified pit stop (the final destination of that particular leg). The route markers are used so the participants know where to go next. The route markers are often attached to boxes that contain clues. The clues may contain only the destination of their next stop, but it may also list:

• A Detour - the team has to choose between two tasks. The team must complete the task before they can see another clue.
• A Roadblock - a task that only one member of the team can complete.
• A Fast Forward - where the first team that finds this clue gets to skip any additional tasks and go directly to the pit stop.
• Yield - allows a team to force another team to stop for a predetermined amount of time.

The teams consisted of any two individuals including married couples, siblings, parents and children, friends, or simply romantic partners (both gay and straight). A couple of teams were even those that married but separated or were formerly dating. Season 8 was the family edition, in which there were four family members and the contestant age was dropped to 8.

At the beginning of each race, each team receives an allowance, which can vary from leg to leg in their journey. The allowance must be used for all expenses such as traveling, lodging, food, etc. Participants do use a credit card for airline tickets, but that is the only exception. Sometimes it can be just one dollar, making the team rely on their wits to get them from place to place or earn money. They can beg for money, sell possessions, or even borrow money from other teams.

** The Winners for Season 12 are Rachel Rosales & TK Erwin.

Season 12

Team	Eliminated
Ari Bonas & Staella Gianakakos (Best Friends)	Week 1
Kate Lewis & Pat Henderson (Married Lesbian Ministers)	Week 2
Marianna & Julia Ruiz (Sisters)	Week 3
Lorena Segura & Jason Widener (Dating)	Week 4
Shana Hall & Jennifer McCall (Friends)	Week 5
Azaria & Hendekea Azene (Brother/Sister)	Week 6
Kynt Cothron & Vyxsin Fiala (Dating)	Week 8
Nathan Hagstrom & Jennifer Parker (Dating )	Week 10
Ronald & Christina Hsu (Father/Daughter)	Eliminated Week 11
Donald Jerousek and Nicolas Fulks (Grandson/Grandfather)	Eliminated Week 11
Rachel Rosales & TK Erwin (Dating)	Winners of Season 12

Latest Amazing Race Show Recaps

The Amazing Race: TK and Rachel Win Amazing Race 12!
Posted: 20 Jan 2008
Ron and Christina were the first team to leave Taiwan for Anchorage, Alaska. Teams had to go to the 6th Avenue Outfitters to retrieve gear and the clue. Gear and Clue! But, Nicolas skimmed the clue and didn’t know they were supposed to get the gear. So he and Donald got [...]

Amazing Race: Nathan and Jenn are Eliminated
Posted: 13 Jan 2008
And the really bad news is it was Jenn’s birthday! But I am glad to see these two negative people gone! They bickered the whole way, with Nathan telling Jenn at one point “I can’t stand you.” Let me tell you how it happened. TK and Rachel were at elimination’s door. They were [...]

The Amazing Race: Non-Elimination Round
Posted: 6 Jan 2008
And it is a good thing for TK and Rachel! I hate the episodes where one team just seems to fade away and you don’t hear about them until the end. That is what happened to TK and Rachel, who left first and seemed to get the best flight, one leaving an hour [...]

The Amazing Race: Kynt and Vyxsin are Eliminated
Posted: 30 Dec 2007
The teams left from Italy to fly to Mumbai, India, the city formerly known as Bombay. It changed its name in 1995, but apparently, I didn’t get the memo. I hate when cities do that! Kynt and Vyxsin arrived last for the last leg, so they had to endure the new “Speed [...]

Season 11 - All Stars

This All Star version included teams from Season 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 10 including Season 7 winners Uchenna & Joyce and newly formed team Eric & Danielle from Season 9. The race finished in San Francisco with Eric & Danielle being named the winners.

Season 10

New rules were implemented in Season 10 - the Intersection and Marked for Elimination. Rob and Kimberly finished second to male models Tyler and James as the teams circumnavigated the glove in a westward fashion from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.

Season 9 Amazing Race

Back to teams of two, season 9 just finished up in May of 2006. The winners, B.J. & Tyler, raced through such countries as Italy, Oman, and Japan before reaching the finish line in Denver.

The Amazing Race starts season 10 in September 2006 and promises to be just as exciting as previous seasons.

Season 8 Amazing Race

There were only 10 teams in this family season. Because teams did consist of families, they did not travel outside of North or Central America and the challenges were easier. The Linz Family won this season of The Amazing Race.

Season 7 Amazing Race

Uchenna & Joyce were the winners of season 5, with The Amazing Race going to new countries such as Botswana, Turkey, and Jamaica. The race ended in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Season 6 Amazing Race

A limit of six roadblocks per teammate was set for this season, forcing the team members to split them equally. Teams traveled through Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Senegal, Germany, Hungary, France, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, and China before returning back to the US where Freddy & Kendra were crowned the winners.

Season 5 Amazing Race

Beginning in season 5, teams were penalized (forced to give up their money and weren't given any for the next leg) for finishing last in a leg that didn't include elimination. This season the teams traveled such locations as Russia, Egypt, Tanzania, and the Philippines. Chip & Kim were announced as the winners in Dallas.

Season 4 Amazing Race

Again traveling to such countries as France, India, Australia and even South Korea this time, Reichen & Chip, a gay couple, were the winners.

Season 3 Amazing Race

This season took the teams to the United Kingdon, Mexico, Portugal, Morocco, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, and Vietnam. When they finally returned back to the United States (Seattle), Flo & Zach were crowned the winners.

Season 2 Amazing Race

Season 2's race went through Brazil, South Africa, Namibia, Thailand, China, Australia, and New Zealand before heading back to California. In the closest finish in the series history, Chris and Alex beat Tara and Wil.

Season 1 Amazing Race

Season 1 saw Nancy and Emily receive a large penalty of 24 hours when the voluntarily quit a detour. That has not happened in any season since. In season 1, the teams raced from the United States to such countries as Zambia, Tunisia, Thailand, and China. It ended in New York City with Rob and Brennan barely beating Frank and Margarita.

Additional Amazing Race Resources