The Amazing Race 20 is the twentieth season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race. Hosted by Phil Keoghan, it featured eleven teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, competing in a race around the world to win US$1,000,000. This season visited five continents and ten countries and traveled over during twelve legs. Starting in Santa Barbara wine country, racers traveled through Argentina, Paraguay, Italy, Austria, Germany, Azerbaijan, Tanzania, India, and Japan before returning to the United States and finishing in Oahu. Elements of the show that returned for this season include the Switchback. The season premiered on CBS on February 19, 2012, and concluded on May 6, 2012.
Married couple Dave and Rachel Brown were the winners of this season, while U.S. Border Patrol agents Art Velez and J.J. Carrell finished in second place and Big Brother dating couple Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly finished in third place.
Production Development and filming
CBS renewed the series for its 20th season on June 16, 2011. Filming for this season began on November 26, 2011 with teams spotted at Los Angeles International Airport. This season spanned a little over in 22 cities and five continents, with first-time visits to Paraguay and Azerbaijan.
Contestants
The cast included former Big Brother contestants Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly, Major League Soccer players Elliot and Andrew Weber, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus clowns Dave and Cherie Gregg, and professional golfer Maiya Tanaka, who had previously appeared on the Golf Channel's reality competition The Big Break. It also included a pair of federal agents (who lied to other teams by saying they were kindergarten teachers), United States Border Patrol agents, and dating divorcés.
On September 8, 2012, Brendon & Rachel got married. ContestantsAgeRelationshipHometownStatus27SistersSan Diego, CaliforniaEliminated 1st(in Cafayate, Argentina)2544Married ClownsNew Port Richey, FloridaEliminated 2nd(in Buenos Aires, Argentina)4428TwinsScottsdale, ArizonaEliminated 3rd(in Asunción, Paraguay)28Menlo Park, California30CousinsGulfport, MississippiEliminated 4th(in Schwangau-Horn, Germany)3029Trainer & Club PromoterWhitestone, New YorkEliminated 5th(in Baku, Azerbaijan)27Holbrook, New York32Federal AgentsLos Angeles, CaliforniaEliminated 6th(in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania)3341Best FriendsManchester, KentuckyEliminated 7th(in Vypin, India)4531Dating DivorcésSan Antonio, TexasEliminated 8th(in Osaka, Japan)3631PhD Student & Event HostessWestwood, CaliforniaThird place2743Border Patrol AgentsTemecula, CaliforniaRunners-up42Carlsbad, California30Army Wife & Combat PilotMadison, WisconsinWinners33 Future appearances Brendon & Rachel were later selected for The Amazing Race: All-Stars along with Bopper & Mark. However, Bopper was unable to compete due to signs of pancreatitis, so he was replaced at the last minute with Mallory Ervin (from season 17 and Unfinished Business) to form a composite team. Art & J.J. returned to compete on The Amazing Race: Reality Showdown, as did Rachel, but partnered with her sister, Elissa.
After this season, Bopper & Mark were awarded a check for $10,000 from the hosts of the daytime talk show The Talk. On May 25, 2016, Bopper & Mark appeared on an Amazing Race-themed primetime special of The Price Is Right, while Rachel Reilly appeared the night prior on a Big Brother-themed special. On July 31, 2018, Brendon & Rachel appeared on a special Survivor vs Big Brother episode of Fear Factor and won $50,000 for UCLA Cancer Research. In 2019, Maiya Tanaka competed in the ABC reality show Holey Moley, while Misa competed the following year. In 2022, Reilly was a contestant on the USA Network reality competition series, Snake in the Grass. She also competed on the 2023 Peacock reality TV series The Traitors. In 2025, Reilly competed on Worst Cooks in America Celebrity Edition: Heroes vs. Villains. Later that year, she competed on Big Brother 27.
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 task in the following leg. A indicates that the team won the Fast Forward. A indicates that the team used an Express Pass on that leg to bypass one of their tasks. 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 12 Rachel & Dave1st1st6th2nd4th1st1st2nd1st1st1st1st Art & J.J.3rd2nd1st1st1st2nd3rd3rd3rd4th2nd2nd Brendon & Rachel2nd4th2nd6th5th4th4th4th2nd2nd3rd3rd Vanessa & Ralph5th7th8th4th3rd6th5th5th4th3rd Bopper & Mark9th3rd4th6th3rd2nd1st Nary & Jamie4th6th5th5th7th5th & Danny10th8th3rd3rd2nd Kerri & Stacy7th5th7th7th Elliot & Andrew6th9th Dave & Cherie8th Misa & Maiya Notes
Race summary
Leg 1 (United States → Argentina)
Episode 1: "Tears of a Clown" (February 19, 2012) Prize: The Express Pass (awarded to Rachel & Dave) Eliminated: Misa & Maiya Locations Santa Ynez, California (Bridlewood Estate Winery) (Starting Line) Los Angeles → Salta, Argentina Santa Bárbara (Road Sign) Cafayate (Aerodromo Gilberto Lavaque) Cafayate (Patios de Cafayate) Episode summary At the Bridlewood Estate Winery in Santa Ynez, California, teams had to search through 100 balloons with baskets for one of eleven balloons which contained their first clue, instructing them to fly to Salta, Argentina. Teams drove to Los Angeles International Airport and had to book tickets on one of two flights to Salta. Once there, teams had to drive to Santa Bárbara in order to find their next clue, which directed them to Aerodromo Gilberto Lavaque. In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to use a map to navigate to a skydiving drop zone. Meanwhile, their partner had to board an airplane and perform a tandem skydive with an instructor. Once the team members were reunited, they received their next clue. After the Roadblock, teams had to drive to Patios de Cafayate in order to find their next clue, which instructed them to make 120 empanadas: sixty with meat and sixty with cheese. Once they made the proper quantity of empanadas with the correct crimping patterns, teams could search the grounds for the nearby Pit Stop.
Leg 2 (Argentina)
Episode 2: "You Know I'm Not as Smart as You" (February 26, 2012) Prize: A trip for two to Grenada (awarded to Rachel & Dave) Eliminated: Dave & Cherie Locations Cafayate (Patios de Cafayate) Cafayate (Cafayate Town Square) Salta → Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (Mercado de Hacienda de Liniers) Buenos Aires (Plaza Intendente Alvear – El Gomero) Episode summary At the start of this leg, teams had to drive to the Cafayate Town Square, where they had to wait for a chasqui, who gave them their next clue. This season's first Detour was a choice between Boil My Water or Light My Fire. In Boil My Water, teams had to travel to one of three nearby small villages and use the provided equipment to build a solar kitchen. Once the oven was built, they had to put on a kettle of water and place the kitchen in direct sunlight. Once the kettle came to a boil, they could receive their next clue. In Light My Fire, teams had to travel to a nearby river, where they had to gather clay and forty pieces of firewood, load them onto a donkey, and then deliver their goods to a local pottery workshop, where they received their next clue. After the Detour, teams had to travel by bus to Buenos Aires and then find their next clue at the Mercado de Hacienda de Liniers. The second bus suffered a 90-minute delay, putting it one hour behind the third bus. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to attend a cattle auction and listen to the auctioneer give the total weight of the cattle in the pen. They then had to calculate the average weight of a head of cattle in the pen without using a calculator and give the correct number to a gaucho in order to receive their next clue. If the auctioneer moved onto another pen before they could give the correct answer to the gaucho, they had to start over with the next pen. After the Roadblock, teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: El Gomero at Plaza Intendente Alvear.
Leg 3 (Argentina → Paraguay)
Episode 3: "Bust Me Right in the Head With It" (March 4, 2012) Prize: A trip for two to Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas (awarded to Art & JJ) Eliminated: Elliot & Andrew Locations Buenos Aires (Plaza Intendente Alvear – El Gomero) Buenos Aires → Asunción, Paraguay Asunción (Metalúrgica Punta de Rieles) Asunción (Mercado Central de Abasto) San Lorenzo (Universidad Nacional de Asunción) Asunción (Plaza de la Democracia) Asunción (Escalinata de Antequera) Episode summary At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to Asunción, Paraguay. Once there, teams had to travel to Metalúrgica Punta de Rieles, where they had to search the metal equipment yard for their next clue. This leg's Detour was a choice between Stacked Up or Strung Out. In Stacked Up, teams had to travel to the Mercado Central de Abasto and stack watermelons into a pyramid in order to receive their next clue. In Strung Out, teams traveled to an auditorium at the Universidad Nacional de Asunción, where they had to properly string a harp so that it was ready to be tuned in order to receive their next clue. Rachel & Dave used their Express Pass to bypass this Detour. After the Detour, teams had to find their next clue at the Plaza de la Democracia. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to perform a traditional Paraguayan bottle dance, which required them to perform a choreographic routine with a glass bottle on their head in order to receive their next clue. If their bottle fell, they had to start over with a new bottle. For this task, each team member was given only fifty bottles and if they broke all of the bottles before completing the Roadblock, they would incur a two-hour penalty at the Pit Stop. After the Roadblock, teams had to travel on foot to the Pit Stop: the Escalinata de Antequera. Additional notes The watermelon Detour and the bottle dance Roadblock tasks were both later revisited on season 32 as part of a Double Switchback Detour. Paraguayan beauty queen Fiorella Migliore appeared as the Pit Stop greeter on this leg.
Leg 4 (Paraguay → Italy)
Episode 4: "Taste Your Salami" (March 11, 2012) Prize: each (awarded to Art & JJ) Locations Asunción (Escalinata de Antequera) Asunción → Turin, Italy Turin (Lingotto) Turin (Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile) Turin (Mole Antonelliana) Turin (L'Arte Marmi Gastronomia Salumeria & Piazza Vittorio Veneto) Turin (Piazza Castello) Episode summary At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to Turin, Italy. Once there, teams had to drive to Lingotto in order to find their next clue. This season's first Fast Forward required one team member to pilot a remote-controlled helicopter and land it on a replica of the Lingotto building's helipad placed on a helmet worn by their teammate. Art & J.J. won the Fast Forward. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to rappel into the spiral ramps of the Lingotto building and stop to retrieve a clue on the way down. If they could not complete the task within two minutes, they had to start over. After the Roadblock, teams had to drive to the Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile and park in a designated spot using their car's active park assist feature. There, teams had to find the 1916 Tin Lizzie with a 2 euro cent coin clue inside the vehicle. Teams then had to figure out that the building depicted on the coin, the Mole Antonelliana, was the location of their next clue.