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To be honest, I could have done this article earlier when The Amazing Race (U.S.) celebrated their 20th season but I haven't completed compiling the list of racers and records and on the 25th season I failed to list all of the racers and keep track of the records, favorites, likes and dislikes about teams. Only on this 27th season did I made to complete the details and came up now with the records. So sorry for the delays but it is now here.
Before I list the notable records or name my favorites, likes and dislikes about the race and its contestants, I want to say that the Amazing Race US is one of my favorite reality television shows on any of its franchise. My other favorite reality television series being Survivor and other cooking reality shows out there because traveling, cooking and beach are some of my interests. These shows showed me my interests which I could not entirely fulfill in my life not even in my wildest dreams. Just like other people say it will only be "my dreams" that will not come true. I just wish to visit at least 180 - 190 countries around the world consisting mostly the countries or territories of where the visitors or readers of this blog came from.
Enough of the sentimental tone of this article as I now give you some of the records and significant milestones that has left a permanent footprint in the race history leaving a legacy and serving as inspiration to others as well as some of my favorites or special awards to recognize the best, greatest, finest, remarkable and outstanding racers as well as taking note of the not so nice, infamous and the controversial.
This is just for the US edition of the race as I have no substantial records or information of other franchises.
A. Winners, Teams and Racers
a.1 Firsts
1st winners of the racers - Rob and Brennan (Season 1)
1st all-male team winners - Rob and Brennan (Season 1)
1st all-female team winners - Nat and Kat (Season 19)
1st male-female tandem winners - Flo and Zach (Season 3)
1st dating couple winners - Reichen and Chip (Season 4)
1st gay couple winners - Reichen and Chip (Season 4)
1st married couple winners - Chip and Kim (Season 5)
1st engaged couple winners - Freddy and Kendra (Season 6)
1st sibling team winners - Nick and Starr (Season 13)
1st dating heterosexual winners - Eric and Danielle (Season 11 - All-Stars)
1st inter-racial winners - Nat and Kat (Season 17)
1st and only group family edition consisting of 4 members of pre-existing family relationships in a team - Season 8
1st female winner - Flo of Flo and Zach (Season 3)
1st Asian-American team winners - Tammy and Victor (Season 14)
1st former drug addict team to win the race - Tyler and James (Season 10)
1st diabetic contestant to win the race - Nat of Nat and Kat (Season 17)
1st male team to win the race without winning any previous legs - Josh and Brent (Season 21)
1st all-stars edition - Season 11
1st all-stars edition winners - Eric and Danielle (Season 11)
1st Filipino-American and 1st Asian-American racer - Kathy Perez of Michael and Kathy (Season 3)
1st mother and son team - Susan and Patrick (Season 7)
1st parent and child team to reach the final leg and finish line - Ron and Christina (Season 12)
1st grandparent and grandchild team to reach the final leg and finish line - Nick and Donald (Season 12)
1st team of lesbians - Kate and Pat (Season 12)
1st inter-racial couples contestants - Brian and Ericka (Season 15)
First team to be in the final three without winning any previous legs - Lyn and Karlyn (Season 10)
First team to finish the race without winning any leg - Lyn and Karlyn (Season 10)
First team to enter the final three without the use of the Fast Forward - Kelly and Jon (Season 4)
First all-female team to reach the Final Leg or the Finish Line - Lyn and Karlyn (Season 10)
First team to use the Fast Forward but not place first or last - Monica and Sheree (Season 4)
1st Post-Race casualty - Margaretta of Dave and Margaretta (Season 1) on October 26, 2008 of cancer at age 67
First team to represent another reality series, Survivor - Rob and Amber (Season 7)
Teams with the most number of reality series and episodes participated - Rob and Amber (Season 7 and 11, All-Stars) - participated in the following reality series: (Survivor The Australian Outback, Survivor Marquesas, Survivor All-Stars, The Amazing Race 7, The Amazing Race All-Stars, Rob & Amber: Against All Odds, Tontine, Survivor Heroes vs. Villains, Reality Obsessed, Survivor Redemption Island), and Around the World in 80 Way)
First team to come in second-to-last in the first leg and win the race - Linz Family (Season 8, Family Edition)
First recipient of the Yield penalty - Colin and Christie as Chip and Kim imposed on them (Season 5)
First team to win two Fast Forwards in a season - Danny and Oswald (Season 11, All-Stars).
First team to finish the same place as their original season - 4th place, Danny and Oswald (Season 2 and 11, All-Stars)
First grandparent/grandchild team to win a leg - Nicolas and Donald (Season 12)
First grandparent/grandchild team to win the Fast Forward - Nicolas and Donald (Season 12)
First team to perform a Speed Bump - Kynt and Vyxsin (Season 12)
First team to perform a Speed Bump and come in 1st in the same leg - Jet & Cord (Season 16)
First team to use the U-Turn - Shana and Jennifer (Season 12)
First team to receive the Express Pass and make it to the final three - Jill and Thomas (Season 17)
First team to survive the U-turn and make it to the final three - Brook and Claire (Season 17)
First deaf contestant - Luke of Margie and Luke (Season 14)
First autistic contestant - Zev of Zev and Justin diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (Season 15)
First team to be eliminated at the starting line - Eric and Lisa (Season 15)
First team to evolve their relationship while they're still racing, from Newly Dating to Engaged. - Chad and Stephanie, Season 17 (Chad proposes Stephanie for marriage and she accepted in leg 8)
First and so far only team to be imprisoned - Andre and Damon (Season 3) - They were officially detained when their taxi took them far out of the way in Morocco and they encountered a local official who wanted to seize their passports. Andre and Damon refused, and the show's security team had to come help them out of the situation.
a.2 Age - Youngest and Oldest
Youngest winner - Tommy aged 19 of Linz Family (Season 8, Family Edition)
Youngest winner of a Non-Family Edition or a Duo Team - Starr of Nick and Starr aged 21 (Season 13)
Oldest winner - Dave of Dave and Connor aged 59 (Season 24)
Youngest racer - Austin Black of Black Family aged 8 (Season 8, Family Edition)
Youngest racer of an all-original cast and non-family edition - 19 years: Kevin of Michael and Kevin (season 17)
Youngest gay team - Lynn and Alex aged 26 (Season 7)
Oldest racer - Mel White of Mel and Mike aged 70 (Season 18, Unfinished Business / All-Stars)
Oldest racer of an all-original cast or non-all-stars - age 69 shared by Don of Don and Mary Jean (Season 6) and Meredith of Meredith and Gretchen (Season 7)
Oldest person to reached the final leg and finish line and in the top three - Donald of Nicolas and Donald (Season 12)
Oldest male team ever - average age 54.5 Joe and Bill (Season 11, All-Stars) - Joe age 56, Bill, age 53
Oldest gay team - average 54.5 Joe and Bill (Season 11, All-Stars) - Joe age 56, Bill, age 53
Oldest dating team - Marcy, aged 60 and Ron aged 59 (Season 15)
Racer who celebrated his/her birthday during the race - Laura of Laura and Tyler aged 29 who turned 30 during the race (Season 26)
Youngest to perform a Roadblock - Billy of Gaghan Family, aged 12 (Season 8, Family Edition)
Youngest to complete 6 Roadblocks - Rolly of Weaver Family, aged 14 (Season 8, Family Edition)
a.3 Numbers
Racer who performed the least number of Roadblocks - 1 (Flo, Season 3) and (Kim, Christie and Nicole, Season 5)
Least amount female contestants in the final three with 1 - Seasons 1, 4, 9, 16, and 21
Most Fast Forwards won in a career - 3 by Danny and Oswald (Season 11, All-Stars)
Least amount male contestants in the final three, 1 - Seasons 11, All-Stars and 17
Highest finish for a grandparent/grandchild team - 3rd place, Nicolas and Donald (Season 12)
Most number of teams who have been U-Turned in a season - 4 (Season 18, Unfinished Business)
Winning Team with the most number of legs won prior to winning the final leg - 7 with Rachel and Dave (Season 20)
Winning Teams without winning any legs prior to the finish line - Eric and Danielle (Season 11), Jen and Kisha (Season 18, Unfinished Business), Josh and Brent (Season 21), Amy and Maya (Season 25)
Non-winning Team with the most number of legs won - 7 by Justin and Diana (Season 27)
a.4 Others
Only mother and son team never to win a leg - Susan and Patrick (Season 7)
Only team to have three team members under 20 years of age - Weaver Family (Season 8, Family Edition)
Only team to be eliminated in their hometown - Schroeder Family (Season 8, Family Edition)
The teams who finish the same place as their original season - 4th place, Danny and Oswald (Season 2 and 11 All-Stars); 5th place, Kent and Vyxsin (Season 12 and 18); 4th place, Leo and Jamal (Season 23 and 24) and 3rd place, Brendon and Rachel (Season 20 and 24)
Ran the shortest distance in the Race history - Eric and Lisa (Season 15)
The only team to receive both the Speed Bump and U-Turn in one season - Josh and Tanner (Season 27)
B. Seasons
Seasons with the most number of male teams - 5 male teams (Season 4 and 23)
Seasons with the most number of female teams -
Seasons with the least number of male teams - 1 male team (Seasons 5, 6 and 12).
Seasons with the most number of couples in love - 7 teams (Seasons 6, 11 All-Stars and 15)
Seasons with the most number of participants in a race - 40 (Season 8, Family Edition)
Seasons with the least number of countries visited - 4 (Season 8, Family Edition)
Seasons where the winning team had a teammate with the same name as the winners in the season immediately before it - Reichen and Chip and Chip and Kim (Season 4 and 5 respectively) and BJ and Tyler and Tyler and James (Season 9 and 10 respectively)
Seasons with the most number of countries visited - 13 (Seasons 3 and 10)
Seasons with consecutive Roadblocks in one leg - Leg 10 of Season 16 and Leg 12 of Season 18, Unfinished Business
Seasons to have a Speed Bump and a U-Turn in the same leg - Leg 8 of Season 12 and Leg 9 of Season 18, Unfinished Business
Seasons which do not have a Fast Forward in the race course - Season 14, 18 and 19
Seasons to feature all male-female team in the final three - Season 5, 6, 7 and 19
Seasons to have no one eliminated at the pit stop in the first leg - Season 15, 18 and 19
Season (except Family Edition) to eliminate multiple teams in the same country - Season 19 (Ethan and Jenna, Ron and Bill & Kaylani and Lisa, all in Indonesia).
Season with the Finish Line that took place indoors - Season 21
Season has the most number of teams without a pre-existing relationship - 5 teams, Season 26
Seasons where the Starting Line is open to public viewing - Seasons 25 and 27
Seasons where there are 3 U-Turns - Season 27
Season with the ugliest, meanest finale - Season 16 because of catfights, blame games, sore losers and meanest bitches lesbians
C. Places
Northernmost Finish Line - Girdwood, Alaska (Season 12)
Southernmost Finish Line - Maui, Hawaii
Northernmost Destination - Sandtorg, Troms (Hårvika) (Season 17)
Southernmost Destination - Ushuaia, Argentina (Season 11)
Northernmost Pit Stop - Narvik, Norway (Season 17)
Southernmost Pit Stop - Isla Redonda, Ushuaia, Argentina (Season 11)
D. Country / Territory Visits
Most visited country of the race except United States: China with 12 season visits. China is also the country except U.S. with the most pit stops with 19.
Largest gap between one country's visit in a season and its previous season's visit - 26 Seasons, Zambia (First visit was in Season 1 while its second visit was in Season 27)
Smallest country visited - Monaco with an area of 2.02 km² (Season 26)
First Time Visit To The Following Countries / Territories Per Season:
Season 1 - South Africa, Zambia, France, Tunisia, Italy, India, Thailand, China
Season 2 - Brazil, Namibia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand
Season 3 - Mexico, Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore
Season 4 - Netherlands, South Korea
Season 5 - Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Russia, Tanzania, Egypt, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, Philippines
Season 6 - Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Senegal
Season 7 - Jamaica, Chile, Peru, Botswana, Turkey, Puerto Rico
Season 8 - Panama, Costa Rica
Season 9 - Greece, Oman, Japan
Season 10 - Finland, Ukraine, Madagascar, Mauritius, Kuwait, Mongolia
Season 11 - Ecuador, Poland, Mozambique, Macau, Guam
Season 12 - Croatia, Ireland, Lithuania, Burkina Faso, Taiwan
Season 13 - Bolivia, Cambodia, Kazakhstan
Season 14 - Romania
Season 15 - Czech Republic, Estonia,
Season 16 - Seychelles
Season 17 - Ghana, Bangladesh
Season 18 - Liechtenstein
Season 19 - Denmark, Belgium, Malawi, Indonesia
Season 20 - Paraguay, Azerbaijan
Season 21 - N/A
Season 22 - French Polynesia
Season 23 - N/A
Season 24 - N/A
Season 25 - Malta, US Virgin Islands, Shetland Islands
Season 26 - Monaco
Season 27 - Zimbabwe
E. Trivia per Season
Season 1 - 1st season to start and end in the same city
1st season to have teams made it to the finish line (final leg) but not finish the race as Joe and Bill were too far behind and the other two teams already made it to the finish line.
Coincidentally, the top three teams in the first leg happened to be the final three teams of the season.
The first season where Phil Keoghan did not greet the last placing team at the finish line (final leg) of the season. The first and so far the only team that did not check out at the pit stop of the final leg was Joe and Bill.
Season 2 - First season to feature sibling teams
Chris & Alex's footrace against Tara & Wil in the finale towards the Finish Line was the closest finish in the American version of the race.
Season 3 - Derek & Drew grabbing the Fast Forward in Leg 2 jumping from 11th to 1st.
The 2nd bus got hit by a car in Leg 2.
Heather & Eve misread their clue on the way to the pit stop.
Half of the 8 remaining teams in Leg 5 put in unleaded gasoline into their vehicles instead of putting in the diesel.
Derek & Drew having difficulties finding a route marker and mistakenly going to the Pit Stop without completing the Roadblock.
Andre and Damon going to the wrong place for the pitstop and asked for their passports resulting in their elimination in the following leg.
Most number of countries visited, 13 (tied with season 10).
First season to have back-to-back non-elimination legs.
Season 4 - Millie & Chuck got hopelessly lost in Leg 9.
Jon tumbled over at the Roadblock in Leg 12.
First season where the top 3 in the first leg were all eliminated.
Most number of teams who have won a leg, 9 teams.
Most number of teams who won the Fast Forward, 7 teams.
Lowest number of teams who have not won a leg, 3 teams.
This season has the longest episode titles out of any season of The Amazing Race.
There are three Steves in this race.
Season 5 - First season to visit all the six inhabitable continents.
First season where all the final 3 teams are male-female team. Coincidentally all the final 3 teams were in love relationships.
For the first time, a single-member in each of the the final 3 team (Kim, Christie and Nicole) performed only 1 Roadblock on the entire race, making them the second, third and fourth (last) person to perform only a single Roadblock to reach the final 3.
Last season where no limitation on individual performing the multiple number of Roadblock.
First season to implement the non-elimination penalty where the last team to arrive at the non-elimination leg were required to turn over all the money they accumulated throughout the race and they were not receive any money on the next leg.
First season to only have one same-gender team of that one gender, one male team.
First season to have three female teams finish in the top 6.
Season 6 - Maria having difficulties driving a stick in Leg 2.
Adam furious at Rebecca for telling him to take off his sunglasses when he accidentally left them on the Viking boat.
Don and Mary Jean mistakenly took Adam and Rebecca's car.
Lena spending 8 hours at the Roadblock pushing over 100 hay bales without finding the clue.
Jonathan and Victoria missed 1st place in Leg 5 when Victoria picked up Jonathan's backpack fearing it would be stolen, sending Jonathan into a rage by shoving her.
Jonathan and Victoria misread their clue in Leg 8 taking only one donkey when they should've taken two.
Lori & Bolo overlooking additional details at the Roadblock in Leg 9.
First season to have winning prizes in every leg.
First introduction of the Roadblock limit wherein each team member may not perform more than 6 Roadblocks.
Most number of couples in love, 7 (tied with All-Stars (2007), and Season 15).
For the first time all the final 6 team are male-female featured team which all the teams were involved love relationship among their own team member.
Season 7 - Brian & Greg overcoming a car accident and beating Ray & Deana in a footrace to the pit stop.
Debbie & Bianca going two hours in the wrong direction.
Gretchen gashing her head at the Detour in Leg 5.
Brian & Greg flipping over their car in Leg 6, injuring their cameraman.
Lynn & Alex's cab driver drove them to the wrong palace in search of the pit stop in Leg 8.
First season not to circumnavigate the globe.
Leg 8 - The first and only Family Edition so far
- The first and only teams of 4 members and non-duo competes for the races
- First season not to have a team penalized nor have been told to go back and fix the mistake before checking in.
- Most number of participants in a race: 40 people.
- First family team that are not blood-related (Aiello Family)
- Least number of countries visited, 4.
Leg 9 - This season marks the number of 100 teams to ever participate in the American version of the Amazing Race.
- First season to have two male teams to come in 1st and 2nd respectively.
- First time the finish line is at the same location as the starting line.
- First time the finish line took place in the snow.
- Last season to implement the non-elimination penalty where the last team to arrive at the non-elimination leg were required to turn over all the money they accumulated throughout the race and they were not receive any money on subsequent leg.
Leg 10 -This is the last American season to neither start nor end in California.
- David & Mary going from last to first due to winning the Fast Foward and surviving being "marked for elimination".
- Lyn & Karlyn becoming the first all-female team to reach the Final Three.
- Peter & Sarah becoming hopelessly lost in Leg 6.
- First season to implement the non-elimination penalty where the last team to arrive at the non-elimination leg were Marked for Elimination where the team must arrived at the next Pit Stop in first place. Otherwise they would receive a 30-minute penalty before they can checked in.
- First season to circumnavigate the globe westwards.
Leg 11 - First time none of the female teams had been eliminated from the race.
- First season where no matching same-gender teams had been eliminated from the race. (2 female teams)
- Most number of couples in love, 7 (tied with Season 6, and Season 15).
- Final season to have an intermediate stop before heading to the final destination.
- First season to not feature parent-child teams.
- Last season to implement the non-elimination penalty where the last team to arrive at the non-elimination leg were Marked for Elimination where the team must arrived at the next Pit Stop in first place. Otherwise they would receive a 30-minute penalty before they can checked in.
Leg 12 - First time none of the male teams had been eliminated from the race.
- First season to implement the non-elimination penalty where the last team to arrive at the non-elimination leg required to perform "Speed Bump" task sometime during the next leg.
- The Girdwood, Alaska Finish Line is the northernmost finish line.
- First time the finish line was not located in the contiguous United States.
Leg 13 - First season where a U-Turn was featured but was not used by teams.
- The only season between 12 and 17 to not have any teams returning to participate in Unfinished Business.
Leg 14 - None of the couples in love made it to the final three. In fact, there are only four couples in love and all four were eliminated in the first four legs and the seven remaining teams are either friend or families.
- The Maui finish line makes this the southernmost finish line in Race history.
- First season where Fast Forward was not used
Leg 15 - First season with a Switchback task.
- Most number of couples in love, 7 (tied with Season 6, and All-Stars).
- Least number of females teams in standard format: 1
- First season to peg the first leg as a non-elimination leg. (Eric & Lisa were eliminated in the first leg but not at the pit stop. Instead they were eliminated at the starting line). No one was also eliminated in the first pit stop.
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