50 Fun Facts About The Amazing Race

On which network has The Amazing Race aired since 2001?

Les Moonves greenlit it in June 2000; the premiere came six days before the September 11 attacks and the show nearly died in its first four seasons.

Who has hosted The Amazing Race since its debut?

He was on the shortlist to host Survivor, but the producers chose Jeff Probst and decided he suited the Race better.

What is the grand prize for the winning team?

Since season 21 a 'Double Your Money' twist has occasionally offered $2 million to a leg-one winner who goes on to win it all.

How many teams typically start a season?

Legs usually number twelve, with a Pit Stop at the end of each and the last team normally eliminated.

How long do teams normally rest at a Pit Stop before starting the next leg?

Production sometimes stretches a Pit Stop by a day to keep teams from spreading too far apart; a season-one sandstorm forced a 72-hour stop.

Which two people came up with the idea for the show?

He jokingly bet her to come up with a better TV idea; she pitched teams racing the world based on her backpacking trips, and they later married.

Which famous producer's television company co-produces the show?

Van Munster and Doganieri took the idea to Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman, and the four refined it into the format.

A Detour offers teams a choice between how many tasks?

Teams may switch options at any time; quitting a Detour costs six hours, or 24 in the earliest seasons.

What is the defining rule of a Roadblock?

Teams choose who does it from a cryptic prompt before reading the full task, and each racer's total number of Roadblocks is capped.

What does completing a Fast Forward allow the first team to do?

Only one team per leg can claim it; those who lose the race to it must go back and finish normally.

What colour are Roadblock clue cards?

Route Info is blue, Detours yellow and Fast Forwards green.

What penalty does a team receive for quitting a Roadblock?

Quitting a Detour costs six hours; flying outside economy class costs 24.

The Yield, which lets one team force another to wait while an hourglass drains, debuted in which season?

That same season introduced the penalty of stripping a last-place team of its money on a non-elimination leg.

What does a U-Turn force the targeted team to do?

Introduced in season 12, it now comes in Blind, Double, Automatic and Vote variants.

What was introduced in season 17 that lets a team skip any single task before a specified leg?

Later seasons added Double and Triple versions; The Save, from season 25, protects a team from one elimination.

What is a Speed Bump?

It arrived in season 12; earlier non-elimination penalties included being 'Marked for Elimination'.

An Intersection, introduced in season 10, requires teams to do what?

Season 30 later tried a Partner Swap, where teammates trade partners for a whole leg.

What is a Switchback?

Introduced in season 15 along with the Starting Line Task.

What colours are the show's standard route markers?

Season one used yellow and white; the switch came in season two and stuck.

Which expense is covered by a production-provided credit card rather than the teams' cash stipend?

Everything else comes from a small allowance of about $100 per leg, which is why some teams have resorted to begging.

Who won the first season in 2001?

Third-placed Joe and Bill were so far behind they never finished; they were still racing in Alaska when the winners crossed the line.

What was unusual about how the host met teams at Pit Stops in the first season?

Local greeters informed the other teams of their placements; the practice changed from season two.

Season 8, the 'Family Edition', featured teams of how many?

Ten families raced entirely within North and Central America; the format was poorly received in the US and never repeated.

Which Survivor couple famously finished second in season 7?

Married couple Uchenna and Joyce Agu won after a controversial airport scramble in San Juan; both teams returned for All-Stars.

Which dating couple, who had raced on opposing teams in season 9, won the All-Stars season 11?

Beauty queens Dustin and Kandice were second and cousins Charla and Mirna third.

How many times has the show won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program?

It won the first seven years the award existed, from 2003, before a cooking competition broke the streak in 2010.

Which show ended The Amazing Race's seven-year Emmy winning streak in 2010?

The host said the loss made the producers realize they had to try harder; the Race won again in 2011.

Which Hollywood star personally called CBS's Les Moonves to save the low-rated show early on?

Two early Emmys and steady young-demographic viewership also helped; season five's summer run averaged 10.7 million viewers.

What is the informal name for the resort where eliminated teams wait until the finale?

CBS web videos called 'Elimination Station' show life there; the last few eliminated teams also run the final leg as decoys.

Which continent has The Amazing Race never visited?

Season one hit four continents; season two added South America and Oceania.

Which travel company sponsored seasons 7-33, with its 'Roaming Gnome' appearing in one task per season?

Expedia took over from season 34 with an 'Expedia Experience' leg; Ford supplied cars for nine seasons.

Which season was the first filmed in high definition?

Producers had cited the cost and fragility of HD gear on the road; the show uses Sony XDCAMs.

Which season's filming was halted by COVID-19 after three legs and finished over a year later?

The remaining legs used low-COVID countries and a charter jet between them.

In which country was the host detained in season 10, until a fan who was the US ambassador helped?

Egypt was later declared 'off the map' after the 2011 revolution, and Russia and mainland China are avoided too.

Season 29 was unusual because its teams were made up of whom?

Season 26 had also paired strangers, matched by producers for romantic compatibility; season 28 used social media stars.

Which former racer went on to found TOMS Shoes after his experiences in Argentina?

Reichen and Chip's Chip Arndt became an LGBT activist, and cowboys Jet and Cord McCoy ran for the Oklahoma legislature.

For which company did the Race's Wii video game get published in 2010?

Ludia developed it and Keoghan voiced the host; a slot machine version also briefly appeared in casinos.

Which Canadian animated series, a Total Drama spin-off, is a direct parody of the show?

It aired on Teletoon and Cartoon Network in 2015 with 18 teams of two.

In which country was the show's host born?

He grew up partly in Antigua and Canada, and hosted adventure shows at home before applying to host Survivor.

In 2009 the show's host cycled about 3,500 miles across America to raise money for which disease?

He later made a film retracing the first English-speaking team to ride the 1928 Tour de France.

How is the host best known for building suspense when teams reach the mat?

He then delivers the news with a local greeter at his side and a short interview.

Roughly how long does a full race take to run?

Van Munster estimates more than 2,000 people worldwide work on a single season.

CBS optioned the format for international versions in which year?

Versions have since run in Asia, Australia, Canada, Latin America, Norway, Israel and beyond, some inventing twists like the Pass and Salvage Pass.

Before landing The Amazing Race, Phil Keoghan was shortlisted to host which other CBS reality show?

Producers picked Jeff Probst instead; fans now call the elimination of teams 'Philimination'.

How many crew members travel with each team on the Race, filming and recording them?

That means teams must find four seats on any flight, and crews rotate at Pit Stops to prevent favouritism.

What is the name of the planning document that predicts the fastest and slowest times a team will take on a leg?

Co-creator Elise Doganieri said it had proved about 98% accurate across all seasons through 2014.

Which was the only edition to start and finish at the very same spot, Red Rocks Amphitheater?

Seasons 1 and 6 also began and ended in the same city (New York and Chicago) but not at the same place.

Which company replaced Travelocity as the show's primary sponsor from season 34?

One leg per season now features a tourism task called an 'Expedia Experience'; Ford was also a major sponsor for nine seasons.

Which country's tourist board created a 'Trace the Race' travel package after appearing in season 6?

Steve Belkin's 'Competitours' also runs 8-to-14-day European tours in the show's style.

How long was season 33's suspension between its first three legs and the rest, because of COVID-19?

Filming resumed in September 2021 entirely within Europe, with a charter plane carrying teams between legs.