The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel 1 is the first season of The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel, a Latin American reality competition show based on the American series The Amazing Race. Hosted by Harris Whitbeck, it featured eleven teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race across Latin America to win US$250,000. The season was produced by RGB Entertainment. This season visited two continents and nine countries and traveled over during twelve legs. Starting in Iguaçu National Park, racers traveled through Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Mexico before finishing in Mexico City. The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel premiered on Discovery Latin America on Sunday 20 September 2009 at 10:00 p.m. (UTC-5). The season finale was aired on 13 December 2009 at 10:00 p.m. (UTC-5).
Argentine married couple Matías Franchini and Tamara Reichelt were the winners of this season, while Venezuelan godfather and godson Daniel España and David Galavis finished in second place, and Chilean friends Ferna Guzmán and Fran Coombs finished in third place.
Production Development and filming
Discovery Channel greenlit the first installment in November 2008.
Filming lasted for 23 days and covered nearly . The first season spanned nine countries in two continents. This season was the first-time any Amazing Race franchise outside of the original American version visited North America. Among the countries visited this season, 7 had been visited by the original American version, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Peru. At the time the season aired, Colombia and the Dominican Republic hadn't been visited by the American version, with Colombia later visited in the twenty-eighth season of the original American version in 2016.
The route markers in this season were colored blue and black, including the clue envelopes and the Pit Stop. Also different from other editions is the fact that the opening shows the teams' country of origin.
Only two teams, both of which were Mexican teams (Casilda & Casilda and Guillermo & Gabriel), appeared at the Finish Line in Mexico City.
Casting Applications were accepted from 17 November 2008 to 31 January 2009.
Marketing Visa, Palm Treo Pro and Nintendo were the sponsors of this season.
Cast This season counted with eleven teams from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela. The cast includes the first team in the history of the franchise composed of a godfather and a godson, a homosexual dating couple, and a team of non-identical twins.
ContestantsAgeRelationshipHometownStatus 26SiblingsRosario, ArgentinaEliminated 1st(in Buenos Aires, Argentina) 33 33TwinsPlaya del Carmen, MexicoEliminated 2nd(in Aconcagua Provincial Park, Argentina) 33 60Father & Daughter Panama City, PanamaEliminated 3rd(in Santiago, Chile) 26 38DatingBucaramanga, ColombiaEliminated 4th(in Lima, Peru) 24 26BoyfriendsBogotá, ColombiaEliminated 5th(in Bogotá, Colombia) 28 55Mother & DaughterMexico City, MexicoEliminated 6th(in Cartagena, Colombia) 30 29Dating BiologistsSão Paulo, BrazilEliminated 7th(in Gamboa, Panama) 28 27FriendsAraraquara, BrazilEliminated 8th(in Irazú Volcano National Park, Costa Rica) 29 28FriendsSantiago, Chile Third place 28 55Godfather & GodsonCaracas, Venezuela Runners-up 23 29MarriedBuenos Aires, ArgentinaWinners 35
Results
The following teams are listed with their placements in each leg. Placements are listed in finishing order.
A placement with a dagger () indicates that the team was eliminated. An placement with a double-dagger () indicates that the team was the last to arrive at a Pit Stop in a non-elimination leg, and had to perform a Speed Bump in the following leg. An italicized placement indicates the team's placement at the midpoint of a double leg. A indicates that the team won the Fast Forward. A indicates that the team used the Yield and a indicates the team on the receiving end of the Yield. A indicates that the team used the U-Turn and a indicates the team on the receiving end of the U-Turn.
+Team placement (by leg) Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12a 12b Matías & Tamara 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 4th 3rd 3rd 1st Daniel & David 2nd 10th 3rd 1st 3rd 6th 4th 3rd 3rd 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd Ferna & Fran 10th 3rd 9th 5th 5th 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 1st 2nd 3rd Daniel & Carlos 5th 2nd 7th 4th 4th 2nd 5th 5th 1st 2nd Rodrigo & Anna 6th 8th 4th 6th 1st 4th 3rd 4th Casilda & Casilda 3rd 6th 1st 3rd 6th 6th Diego & Miguel 7th 5th 5th 8th 7th 5th Mario & Melissa 8th 4th 8th 7th Ricardo & Adriana 4th 9th 6th Guillermo & Gabriel 9th 7th Nora & Ariel Notes
Prizes Leg 1 – $200 credit card issued by Visa for each team member. Leg 2 – $200 credit card issued by Visa for each team member. Leg 3 – $300 credit card issued by Visa for each team member. Leg 4 – $300 credit card issued by Visa and a Nintendo DSi for each team member. Leg 5 – $300 credit card issued by Visa and a Wii for each team member. Leg 6 – $400 credit card issued by Visa and a Palm Treo Pro for each team member. Leg 7 – $400 credit card issued by Visa and a Wii for each team member. Leg 8 – $500 credit card issued by Visa and a Palm Treo Pro for each team member. Leg 9 – $600 credit card issued by Visa and a Nintendo DSi for each team member. Leg 10 – $800 credit card issued by Visa and a Palm Treo Pro for each team member. Leg 11 – $1000 credit card issued by Visa and a Palm Treo Pro for each team member, and a 7-night stay at The Fairmont Mayakoba Hotel & Spa located at the Riviera Maya, Mexico with a spa treatment. Leg 12: Midpoint – 2 tickets courtesy of Mexicana Airlines, 7 nights in the State of Yucatán (2 nights at Hotel Mayaland Resort, Chichen Itza + 3 nights at the Hacienda Xcanatún, Mérida + 2 nights at Hotel Lodge Uxmal, Uxmal). Finish Line – $250,000
Race summary
Leg 1 (Brazil)
Airdate: September 20, 2009 Iguaçu National Park, Paraná, Brazil (Iguaçu Falls Heliport) (Starting Line) Iguaçu National Park (Garganta do Diabo Falls) Iguaçu National Park (Espaço Naipi to Mirante 2) Iguaçu National Park (Cânion Iguaçu to Puerto Macuco) Foz do Iguaçu (Foz do Iguaçu International Airport) to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul (Salgado Filho International Airport) Porto Alegre (Hotel Deville) Gramado (Portico Taquara) Gramado (Lago Negro or Aldeia Do Papai Noel) Gramado (Mini Mundo ) Gramado (Hotel Ritta Höppner)
This series' first Detour was a choice between Flores (Flowers) or Árbol (Tree). In Flores, teams made their way to Lago Negro, where they had to paddle a swan boat across the lake to pick up a basket of flowers from a villager. Then they had to go back to the dock and give the basket to a female villager to receive their next clue. In Árbol, teams made their way to the Aldeia Do Papai Noel, where they had to search the "Arvore dos Desejos" for a wooden block called a "mimo" with their names written on it that they had to give to an elf to receive their next clue.
Additional tasks At Garganta do Diabo Falls, teams were instructed to find bikes at Espaço Naipi and then ride to Mirante 2. From there, teams had to walk to the Canion Iguaçu entrance to find their next clue. At Canion Iguaçu, teams had to rappel down to the Iguaçu River and then raft down the river to Puerto Macuco to find their next clue. At Foz do Iguaçu International Airport, teams had to sign up for one of two flights to Porto Alegre. The first flight would carry six teams and would depart just over ten hours before the second flight with the remaining five teams. Teams would be released in the order and with the time differences when they signed up. At Hotel Deville, teams had to wait until noon for the hotel's valet to give them keys to a car with their next clue. At Mini Mundo, teams were given a board with five pictures of characters and five pictures of places and had to search the park to correctly match each place where a character was located to receive their next clue.
Leg 2 (Brazil → Argentina)
Airdate: September 27, 2009 Eliminated: Nora & Ariel Locations Gramado (Hotel Ritta Höppner) Porto Alegre (Estádio Olímpico Monumental) & Porto Alegre (Estádio Olímpico Monumental → Salgado Filho International Airport) Porto Alegre (Salgado Filho International Airport) → Buenos Aires, Argentina (Ministro Pistarini International Airport) Buenos Aires (Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales) San Isidro (Centro de Entrenamiento Jockey Club) Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Zoo) Buenos Aires (United Nations Square – Floralis Genérica) Episode summary At the start of this leg, teams had to drive to Estádio Olímpico Monumental in order to find their next clue. In the series' first Roadblock, one team member had to search the Estádio Olímpico Monumental for a gym bag which contained a goalkeeper uniform, don the uniform, and then successfully block a penalty kick in order to receive their next clue. If they were unsuccessful after five minutes, they had to go to the back of the line before they could try again. After the Roadblock, teams were instructed to fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Teams were released from the airport in Buenos Aires in the same order in which they had arrived at the airport in Porto Alegre. Teams found their next clue at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales and had to build a scale-model Tyrannosaurus rex to the satisfaction of a paleontologist in order to receive their next clue directing them to the Centro de Entrenamiento Jockey Club. For their Speed Bump, Nora & Ariel had to deliver a pack of newspapers to each of five newsstands before they could continue racing. This leg's Detour was a choice between (Horses) or (Stables). In , teams had to ride horses around the arena and pick up two flags that they could exchange for their next clue. In , teams had to completely clean a stable and take the waste in a wheelbarrow to the fertilizer reservoir in order to receive their next clue. After the Detour, teams had to hire a remise to go to the Buenos Aires Zoo and find a living statue of a gaucho, to whom they had to give money in order to receive their next clue directing them to the Pit Stop: the Floralis Genérica at the Plaza de las Naciones Unidas.
Leg 3 (Argentina)
Airdate: October 4, 2009 Buenos Aires (Aeroparque Jorge Newbery) to Mendoza (Francisco Gabrielli International Airport) Mendoza (Parque San Martín) Mendoza (Monumento al Ejército de los Andes) Luján de Cuyo (Bodega Ruca Malen) Villa Potrerillos (Rotonda) Villa Potrerillos (Mendoza River) or Uspallata (Cerro Tunduqueral ) Puente del Inca Village (Feria de Puente del Inca) Aconcagua Provincial Park (Mirador Aconcagua)
In this season's only Fast Forward, one team had to arrange 1,000 toy soldiers to make 25 rows with 40 soldiers in each to win the Fast Forward award.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search a vineyard for 18 wine bottles of three different colors, label them, and put the bottles in their corresponding boxes to receive their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Aire (Air) or Piedra (Stone). In Aire, teams had to ride a zip-line over the Mendoza River to receive their next clue. In Piedra, teams received a stone with a drawing and had to search Cerro Tunduqueral for the matching petroglyph to receive their next clue from a shaman.
Additional tasks At Parque San Martín, teams had to find their next clue on a marked vehicle. At Feria de Puente del Inca, both team members had to write a message at least 50 words long on a postcard to their families to receive their next clue from the postman.
Leg 4 (Argentina → Chile)
Airdate: October 11, 2009 Santiago, Chile (Baquedano Metro Station – Bibliometro) Santiago (Baquedano Metro Station to Pajaritos Metro Station) Santiago (Pajaritos Bus Station) to Valparaíso (Terminal Rodoviario de Valparaíso ) Valparaíso (Ascensor Concepción) Valparaíso (Paseo Atkinson) Valparaíso (Ascensor El Peral)