The Amazing Race is an adventure reality competition franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The Amazing Race is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in foreign areas, interact with locals, and perform physical and mental challenges that often highlight aspects of a location's culture, history, or economy. Over the course of the Race, teams travel by airplanes, helicopters, trucks, bicycles, taxicabs, cars, trains, buses, boats and by foot. Teams are progressively eliminated at the end of most legs for being the last to arrive at designated Pit Stops, until only three remain. The first team to arrive at the finish line 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 thirteen Primetime Emmy Awards, ten of them for "Outstanding Reality Competition Program". Emmy-Award-winning New Zealand television personality Phil Keoghan has been the host of the American version of the show since its inception. The show has branched out to include a number of international versions following a similar format.
The Race
Each race depicted in The Amazing Race is broken up into a number of legs. In each leg, teams generally leave the Pit Stop of the previous leg and travel to a different location, where they perform two or more tasks – often including one Detour and one Roadblock – before being given instructions to go to the next pit stop. It is every team's goal to complete each leg as quickly as possible, as the last team to arrive at the pit stop is usually eliminated from the competition.
Teams
Typically, each season features around a dozen or so teams, each composed of two people with a pre-existing relationship. Original show rules required that teammates have a pre-existing relationship of more than three years and no previous acquaintance with other racers during that cycle. 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. Most notably, the Family Edition featured ten teams of four racers, some of whom were young children. The twenty-sixth and twenty-ninth seasons included teams made up of people who met for the first time just prior to the start of the race - in the former, they were paired by producers based on potential romantic compatibility, while in the latter, teams were determined in a draft based on the outcome of an opening challenge. Occasionally, seasons may be themed around those with some celebrity status, paired with their loved ones- notably, the twenty-eighth season featured social media celebrities and multiple seasons of the Australian edition have featured celebrities and those seasons have been billed as a Celebrity Edition.
Normally unseen, a two-person production crew, one recording audio and the other recording video, accompanies every team. Generally, teams may not travel without their production crew, who are switched among teams after each leg to avoid biases from developing.
Money At the beginning of each leg, each team receives a cash allowance with their first clue, which they must use to cover all expenses except for airfare, which is covered by a production-provided credit card. In the eighth season, this card could also be used to purchase gasoline. Allowance money is usually given in U.S. dollars regardless of location. The amount of money varies from leg to leg. Teams are allowed to keep any unused money for future legs, barring certain penalties for finishing last or instructions to the contrary.
If team members spend all of their money or have it taken away in a non-elimination leg, they may then attempt to obtain more money in any way that does not violate local laws; this includes borrowing money from other teams, begging from locals, or selling their possessions. Since the seventh season, teams have been prevented from begging at United States airports, and teams may not use their personal possessions to barter payment for services.
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 places where the teams must go in order to complete tasks, or may be used to line courses that the teams must follow.
The route markers used in the first season were yellow and white. They were changed to yellow and red in the second season, and this has remained the standard color scheme since. Occasionally, different color schemes are adopted for certain legs, seasons, or versions of the race.
Clue types Type Card color Description Failure / Penalty Route Information Blue Directs teams to their next location or task. May require figuring out cryptic destinations, navigating via specific transportation, or following travel restrictions. Teams must backtrack to fix transport violations or serve a penalty at the Pit Stop. Detour Yellow A choice between two different tasks, each testing different skills (e.g., physical vs. mental). Teams may switch tasks at any time. 6-hour penalty for quitting (24 hours in early seasons). Roadblock Red A task that only one team member can perform, chosen based on a cryptic prompt before reading the full description. Total Roadblocks per racer are limited. 4-hour penalty for quitting. Fast Forward Green An optional challenge that allows the first team to complete it to skip all remaining tasks in the leg and head directly to the Pit Stop. None directly; losing teams must return and complete the leg normally.
Obstacles and twists Obstacle / Twist Introduced Description Starting Line Task Season 15 A challenge at the very beginning of the race that determines early flight choices, advantages, penalties, or immediate elimination. Yield Season 5 Allows one team to force another team to stop racing until an hourglass drains (or incense burns out). Pass Canada Season 8 Forces a team to wait until another team passes them before they can continue racing. U-Turn Season 12 Forces a designated team to complete both tasks of a Detour. Variants include Blind, Double, Automatic, and U-Turn Vote. One Way Canada Season 7 Forces a designated team to complete a specific option of a Detour. Intersection Season 10 Requires two teams to pair up and perform all tasks and decisions together until instructed otherwise. Head-to-Head / Face Off Latin America Season 2 / Norway Season 2 Teams compete directly against each other 1-on-1 in a task. Winners move on; losers wait for the next team. T-Junction Australia v New Zealand All remaining teams divide into two large super-teams to complete an entire leg or challenge together. Hazard Season 19 A penalty task given specifically to the team that finished last in the Starting Line Task. Switchback Season 15 A recreation of an iconic or exceptionally difficult task from a past season. Stowaway Teams China Season 2 / Australia Season 5 New or eliminated teams brought into the race mid-season. Partner Swap Season 30 Teammates switch partners with another team for the duration of a leg. Double-Length / Mega Leg Season 6 Extended legs featuring double the tasks (two Detours and two Roadblocks) before reaching a Pit Stop. City Sprint Season 32 A leg completed entirely within a city featuring no Detours or Roadblocks. Scramble Season 34 Teams are given three tasks or locations that can be completed/visited in any order. Fork in the Road Season 37 Teams choose between two distinct race paths, with one team eliminated at the end of each path. Driver's Seat Season 37 The first team to arrive chooses the difficulty level of the next task for all competing teams. Valet Roulette Season 37 Teams blindly choose between a manual or automatic transmission vehicle.
Non-elimination leg penalties Penalty Type Introduced Description Stripped of Money / Belongings Season 5 The team is stripped of all cash (and sometimes all possessions except passports) at the start of the next leg. Marked for Elimination Season 10 The team must finish 1st on the next leg or serve a 30-minute penalty at the Pit Stop. Speed Bump Season 12 An extra task the last-place team must complete during the next leg before continuing. Handicap Norway Season 1 Modifies a standard task to make it harder or longer for the penalized team. Delayed Start Israel Season 3 The team must wait an extra period (e.g., 30 to 90 minutes) before departing on the next leg. U-Turn Penalty Vote Season 38 The team automatically receives a vote against them in the next U-Turn vote.
Gameplay prizes and advantages Advantage Introduced Effect Express Pass Season 17 Allows a team to skip any single task of their choice before a specified leg. Variants include Double and Triple passes. The Assist Canada Season 9 Allows a team to make a designated challenge easier to complete. Salvage Pass Australia Season 2 Gives the option of a 1-hour head start on the next leg or saving the last-place team from elimination. First Class Pass Australia Season 5 Allows leg winners to skip the next leg entirely and enjoy a luxury experience while others race. The Save Season 25 Allows a team to avoid elimination if they finish last in an elimination leg (valid through Leg 9). Return Ticket / On Ramp Pass China Season 3 / Canada Season 8 Grants the power to bring an eliminated team back into the competition. Double Your Money Season 21 Doubles the grand prize to $2,000,000 if the winning team goes on to win the entire race.
Standard rules and penalties Rule infraction Standard penalty duration Quitting a Detour 6 hours (24 hours in Seasons 1–5) Quitting a Roadblock, Speed Bump, or Handicap 4 hours Flying outside Economy Class 24 hours (or price difference plus time gained) Bartering personal belongings for services 2 hours Standard task / route infraction 30 minutes + time gained Minor task violation 15 minutes
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, scouting 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. An 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 had released a map to show the locations that the racers would be visiting.
The show is broadcast on CBS in the United States and simulcast via satellite in various networks around the world.
Through its efforts, the American version has received many accolades, including Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations in categories for audio and video production and editing. In 2010, CBS announced that season 18 of the show would be broadcast in high definition.
International versions
The original version of The Amazing Race is the American version, which debuted on CBS on September 5, 2001, with Phil Keoghan as the host. In October 2005, CBS optioned The Amazing Race for franchising to other countries.
Asia and Oceania