The Amazing Race (US Edition) For The Record Part 2

Continuation - The Amazing Race (US Edition) For The Record Part 2 of 2 Series:

The Amazing Race Season 18 Contestants

The Amazing Race Season 21 Contestants

The Amazing Race Season 23 Contestants

The Amazing Race Season 24 Contestants

The Amazing Race Season 26 Contestants

E. Trivia per Season

Season 16 - First season that have back-to-back Roadblock in the same leg (leg 10)
               - First season that got a placement reversal that not at the final leg (leg 8)
               - First team to perform a Speed Bump and come in 1st in the same leg (Jet & Cord, leg 8).
               - First season to have a fight at the Finish Line.


Season 17 - First season to cross the Arctic Circle.
               - First season to have two female teams to come in 1st and 2nd respectively.
               - Least amount male contestants in the final three, 1. (Tied with Season 11)
               - First season to only have one U-Turn mat in the entire season ever since its introduction.
               - Most number of all-female teams, four. (tied with Season 25)
               - No married teams.
               - Brook is tied for the second most quoted racer for the episode titles: 4 episode


Season 18 - First season broadcast in high definition.
                - First season to have an automatic U-Turn.
                - First season to have the first episode end with a cliffhanger.
                - Most parent/child teams in a single season, 4.
                - First season to have only one Speed Bump in the entire race.
                - First time the whole series has back-to-back female teams winning the race (Nat & Kat from Season 17 and Kisha & Jen from this season).
                - First time there are back-to-back Roadblocks in the final leg.
                - First season with no rest period legs (legs 1 and 4).
                - Most number of teams who have been U-Turned in a season, 4.
                - First season to have same-sex African-American teams to come in 1st and 2nd respectively.
                - Least amount of couples in love in standard format: 2 out of 11 (tied with All-Stars (2014) - 2 out of 11; although it is debatable whether or not Tara & Wil and Tim & Marie from Season 2 and Season 23, respectively, should be counted as "in love" giving their separation and divorce status, as well as Tara and Marie's poor on-screen treatment toward their partner, which would change the ratio to 2 out of 11 teams).
                - First season to not feature a married team.
                - First season that no one is eliminated in the first leg.
                - From 1st place to 4th place, the number the legs the team won became their placement.  (eg. 1st place Kisha and Jen won 1 leg, 2nd place Flight Time and Big Easy won 2 legs, 3rd place Gary and Mallory won 3 legs and 4th place Zev and Justin won 4 legs)
                 - The first four teams eliminated were all from the same season, Season 14. Ironically, Kisha & Jen, the only surviving Season 14 team, ended up winning.
                 - Many of the teams in Unfinished Business were eliminated in a similar fashion to their original season:

    * Amanda & Kris being U-turned in their original season, and U-turned again this season
    * Luke stumbling at the Roadblock in his original season, and again this season, costing his team.
    * One team member from Ron & Christina messing up at a crucial Roadblock in both seasons
    * Kent & Vyxsin are eliminated in fifth place.
    * Gary & Mallory got trouble with direction at the early of the leg in both season

                - All the teams that made it to the final leg in their original season were eliminated back-to-back from leg 5 until leg 9 (leg 8 was a non-elimination leg).



Season 19 - First season to introduce a Hazard.
               - First season to have a Double Elimination.
               - First season to have tablets used in the U-Turns, removing the usage of the "Courtesy Of" photos.
               - Fourth season to features all male-female team in the final three after the back-to-back chain from Season 5 until Season 7, coincidentally all the final three teams were involved love relationship among their own team member.
               - First season to have U-Turns on back-to-back legs.
               - Second season to eliminate multiple teams in the same country (Ethan and Jenna, Ron and Bill & Kaylani and Lisa, all in Indonesia). The first was The Amazing Race 8 were seven teams eliminated in their home country, which was the United States.
               - First season since All Stars to have four non-elimination legs (Including the one double length leg between leg 9 and leg 10).
               - Only season after Season 18 to have no teams participating again in All-Stars (2014).
               - The final four teams dominate the leg wins in this season, (Andy & Tommy with 6 wins, Ernie & Cindy with 3 wins, Amani & Marcus with 2 wins, Jeremy & Sandy with 1 win)



Season 20 - For the first time ever, one team would be forced to fix their mistake before they could check in at the finish line. Rachel & Dave missed the Roadblock.
               - First season which both teams survived a double U-Turn in the same leg (Brendon & Rachel and Vanessa & Ralph).
              - Second season to not feature a parent-child team since The Amazing Race 11.
              - First season to have a Speed Bump and a Fast Forward in a same leg (Leg 10).
              - First season since Season 4 to have more than two Fast Forwards in the entire race.



Season 21 - First season where all the countries visited have been previously visited before, therefore having no new countries visited.
                - First season to have the second slot of a Double U-Turn used on the team who used the first U-turn twice.
                - First season where the Finish Line took place indoors.
                - This is the first season to have an episode end in a cliffhanger but not be a Superleg.
                - Least amount female contestants in the final three, 1. (Tied with Season 1, Season 4, Season 9, Season 16)



Season 22 - First season to have two Switchbacks in the same season.
                - Final season to have the usage of tablets in the U-Turns.
                - Second season back to back since Season 21 where no new countries has visited as all the countries visited have been previously visited before. (This is because French Polynesia was part of oversea territories country of France.)
                - All teams on the 2nd Flight in Leg 1, with the exception of Matt & Daniel, were in the top five placing teams of the season.
                - All teams on the 1st Flight in Leg 1 were in the first six teams eliminated.



Season 23 - 2nd Largest Gap between one country's visit in a season and its previous season's visit - Portugal, which was previously visited in Season 3 (20 seasons); tied with Season 25 for their visit to the Philippines, which was previously visited in 5. It was eventually beaten by Namibia, which had its first visit in Season 2, and its second visit in Season 26 (24 seasons).
                - Fifth season where the final three teams are male-female teams after Season 19, coincidentally all the final three teams were involved love relationship among their own team member.
                - Third season consecutively since Season 21 where no new sovereign countries were visited, as all the countries visited in this season have been previously visited before. (Season 22 featured French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France.)



Season 24 - Illusionist David Copperfield appeared in the first Roadblock for the teams in Las Vegas
                - First time that a team without a pre-existing relationship competed on The Amazing Race.



Season 25 -  Keith & Whitney's inclusion makes this the fourth time a pair of former Survivor contestants crossed over to The Amazing Race, following seasons 7, 11 and 19.
                - This is the second season to have four all-female teams (after Season 17).
                - This is the first season to award The Save.
                - This is the first season where the Express Pass is not given by Phil to a winning team.
                - The is the first to have four finalists instead of the standard three.
                - This is the first season since Season 11 to have four non-elimination legs



Season 26 - This season featured the Race's second visit to Namibia, which breaks the record for having the largest gap between one country's visit in a season and its previous season's visit, which was previously visited in Season 2 (24 seasons). The record was previously tied with Season 23 for Portugal, which was previously visited in Season 3 (20 seasons), and Season 25 for the Philippines, which was previously visited in Season 5 (also 20 seasons).
                - This is the first season ever (including international versions) to not feature a single female or family team.
                - This is the second season to not feature a friend team (after Family Edition) and the first 2-person season to do so.
                - Monaco is the smallest country (in terms of  area) visited by the Race with 2.02 km², surpassing the Unfinished Business' visit to Liechtenstein (160 km²).
                - This season has the most number of teams without a pre-existing relationship (5 teams), as well as the only non-All-Star season to do so.
                - This is the first season since Season 13 to feature a Detour on the first leg.
                - This is the first season in the original American version to feature a U-Turn on the first leg.
                - Tyler is the most quoted racer for episode titles: 5 episodes
                - Every team that was spared on a non-elimination leg was eliminated at some point on the following leg.



Season 27 - This is the first season ever (including international versions) to not feature production-provided vehicles involving self-driving.
               - This is the second season where the Starting Line was opened for public viewing, following Season 25.
               - This is the first season since Season 4 to feature a Fast Forward on Leg 1.
               - This is the first season where the Express Pass won by the winning team must use it before the end of the 5th leg. Upon usage of the Express Pass, the winning team must hand it over to another team, who must use it on the next leg (5th Leg).
               - This season featured the Race's second visit to Zambia, which broke the record for having the largest gap between one country's visit in a season and its previous season's visit, which was previously visited in Season 1 (26 seasons).
               - This is the first American season to have 2 Roadblocks and a Detour in one leg (Leg 6).
               - This is the first American season to have 3 legs with U-Turns (Legs 4, 9, 10). Additionally, this is the first season to feature a single U-Turn since Season 16.




F. Innovations

Season 5 - Introduced the Yield
Season 6 - Introduced the double-length leg
Season 8 - Family Edition of 4 members
Season 10 - Introduced the Intersection
Season 11 - Introduced the All-Stars edition featuring returning favorite teams, and a new team that began dating after their first season
Season 12 - Introduced U-Turn and Speed Bump
Season 14 - Introduced Blind U-Turn
Season 15 - Introduced the Switchback
Season 17 - Introduced the Express Pass and Double U-Turn
Season 18 - Unfinished Business, featuring returning teams who lost their first race and wanted to prove they could win
Season 19 - Introduced Hazard and Double Elimination
Season 21 - Introduced the Double Your Money prize and the Blind Double U-Turn
Season 22 - Introduced a Second Express Pass that must be given to another team
Season 25 - Introduced the Save and Blind Detour; first season to feature four teams racing in the final leg
Season 26 - Featuring 11 dating teams, including five teams meeting in person for the first time at the start of the race called Blind Dates
Season 27 - Introduced a single Express Pass that must be given to another team once used, and the recipient must use it in the following leg; first season to feature three U-turns
Season 28 - Featuring 11 teams of notable social media personalities.






G. Special Mentions


Most Efficient Teams - Jet and Cord (Seasons 16, 18 and 24) Rob and Amber (Season 7 and 11), Leo and Jamal (Season 23 and 24)
Most Loved Teams -
Most Hated Teams - Brent and Caite (Season 16), Rachel and Dave (Season 20)
Bitchiest Teams - Carol and Brandy (Season 16), Rachel and Dave (Season 20)
Villain and Meanest Teams - Carol and Brandy (Season 16), Rachel and Dave (Season 20)
Worst Teams -

The Amazing Race (US Edition) For The Record Part 1

The Amazing Race 2001 Logo

The Amazing Race 2002 - 2008 Logo

The Amazing Race 2008 - 2013 Logo

The Amazing Race 2013 - Present Logo 

The Amazing Race Promotion

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.
    

 

SLEEPING DRAGON OF THE SOUTH: ILOILO BUILDINGS HISTORY AND TRIVIA

Hoskyn's Department Store is the very first department store in the Philippines established in 1877 by Hoskyns and Co. Hoskyn's building still exists today withstood the test of the time withstanding a war, earthquakes, storms and other natural calamities. It is one of the best preserved buildings in Iloilo. Today, a small supermart store, a hardware store and a drug store occupies the building. Take note of the name and date inscribed at the top of the building.

Once completed, all of these buildings can be found all over Iloilo by 2015.

          By the second half of the 19th century, Iloilo became the undisputed leader among the provinces in Western Visayas. Not only was it the biggest in population, it was the largest in agricultural production, the most active in manufacturing, and one of the best instructed among the provinces, according to John Bowring, Governor of Hongkong, who visited Iloilo in 1858 (Bowring, 1963). 

          Because of the expansion of trade and the rapid growth of business and economic activities in Panay and Negros due primarily to the boom in the sugar industry resulting from the opening of the Iloilo Port to world commerce in 1855, native and foreign firms established themselves in the town of Iloilo. These firms built permanent offices and outlets along the Iloilo wharf and the streets that branched out from the waterfront. Banks, machine shops, printing presses, educational institutions, medical facilities, and social clubs came into being. Residential buildings multiplied and provided the town of Iloilo a highly urbanized character. The town of Iloilo subsequently developed into one of the most important commercial centers in the Philippines outside of Manila. On October 5, 1889, the Queen Regent of Spain raised the town to the status of a city. 

          The Iloilo waterfront (now Muelle Loney), considered as the hub of Iloilo's trade, was an entrepot of British and Chinese merchants in the 1880s, not to mention American, Basque, Catalan, Danish, Portuguese, Swiss and Filipino entrepreneurs. Calle Real (now J.M. Basa Street), situated in the heart of downtown Iloilo, served as the main shopping center of the town. In the 1880s, even before it was elevated into a city, it was already where most of the town's business establishments and large residential houses were found. Filipino, American, European and Chinese retail stores lined up along its length. An essential component of the sugar trade at the Port of Iloilo was the availability of bodegas or warehouses to store sugar. At the heart of the waterfront stood a long line of offices and bodegas owned by the leading commercial houses operating in Calle Real and elsewhere in the town. Some of these included those of Miguel Medina, Julian Hernaez, Vicente Gay, the Scot Macleod, Ernest Oppen, Ynchausti y ca., and the Swiss Frederick Luchsinger (Source: Contribuciones industriales, Iloilo). 

          In 1877, the Englishman Henry Hoskyns, nephew of Nicholas Loney, the first British vice-consul in Iloilo, paid P17,000 for the house and lot at the midpoint of Calle Real which became the site of the town's renowned luxury Hoskyn Department Store. It was also the first to introduce the “fixed price” policy in merchandising in the country and was known to be “the store that sold everything from needle to anchor”. It offered groceries, hardware, stationery, toys, watches, jewelry, machinery, buttons, threads, etc. (Source: Articulos que ordinariamente reciben y venden Hoskyn y ca. del comercio de Iloilo, 1895). 

          In the 1880s, among the business firms that were doing business in Calle Real, aside from Hoskyn's, were Streif and Co. (Swiss), Ynchausti y cia. (Spanish), El Louvre (French), Lizarraga Hermanos (Spanish), and Levy Hermanos and Co. (French). These establishments were noted merchants, capitalists and large commodities brokers. There were also other European and American firms dealing in maritime and fire insurance. Also, a number of European specialty shops and retail stores were on hand selling hats, watches, naval supplies, etc. A piano studio, tailoring and machine shops were, moreover, available. Furthermore, here was located Spanish and native establishments like Bazar Cosmopolitan, Cafe Colon, La Puerta del Sol, La Espega de Oro, La Zaragoza, and Tordecillas y ca. There was also German-owned drugstore called Botica Antigua (Source: Protocols 1601, Yloilo, March 31, 1887; Contribuciones industriales, Iloilo). 

          Banks promptly opened their branches in Iloilo town in this period and they were placed at Calle Real near Plaza Alfonso XII (now Plaza Libertad). These banks were the Chartered Bank and the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank. Hotels were also found in Calle Real like the Casa de Hespedes and Fonda la Espanola located just off the far-end of the Plaza. 

 

Locations Of The Newest Buildings In Iloilo By 2015

The Original Seal Of Iloilo in 1890 When Iloilo City Was Founded. It Has A Conscription "La Muy Leal Noble Y Ciudad De Iloilo 1890" Or The Most Loyal and Noble City Of Iloilo Bestowed Upon By The Queen Regent Of Spain, Maria Christina Thus The Nickname "Queen City Of The South" was based.

Photo Source:  

http://www.localphilippines.com 
skyscrapercity 
habagatcentral.com 
Iloilo I Love By Mark Segador
"Iloilo, the Most Noble City: History and Development 1566 - 1898" by Reverend Father Policarpio F. Hernandez, OSA

 

If You Can Be A Miss Universe 2012 Contestant, Answer These

Let's say you are a Miss Universe 2012 contestant competing with 88 other contestants, (the REAL contestants that are NOW in Las Vegas, Nevada) representing your own country instead of your current representative (put yourselves in their shoes temporarily), can you answer the following: 

1. How will you prepare yourself for the upcoming competition? 

2. Do you have any routine, exciting or unusual prior to competing in the Miss Universe 2012? 

3. Upon arriving in Las Vegas, what is the first thing you will do? 

4. Is there anything you do prior to walking up to the stage? 

5. Aside from your current roommate, who else among the 88 contestants would you like to be your roommate? 

6. Who among the other 88 contestant would you like to make friends with, talk to and learn from? What do you want to talk to and learn from her? 

7. What would be your assets / strengths that can give you an edge over the others? ( you can answer this with reference to your country's Miss Universe 2012 contestant ) 

8. What would be your flaws / weaknesses that you want to improve? ( you can answer this with reference to your country's Miss Universe 2012 contestant ) 

9. What interesting things about you that you would like others to know? 

10. What interesting, beautiful things about your country that you would like to share with all of the contestants? 

11. What country would you like to visit or live aside from your country? 

12. Do you have any memorable moments in life would you like to share? 

13. What would you consider as your defining moment as a woman/man? 

14. If you win, what advocacy, programs or causes you want to pursue? 

15. Why you should be the next Miss Universe? 


Now if you are going choose among the other 88 contestants (except yourself of course and your country) which of them: 

has the most perfect figure / you want to have 
has the most beautiful face 
has the most luscious lips 
is the most friendly, warm and sincere 
is the most Photogenic 
is the Smartest 
is the Funniest 
is the Sexiest in All Aspects 
is the most Interesting contestant 

would you like to be with you as the "last two women standing" 

would be the most likely to be the next Miss Universe 

would be the dark horse who can snatch the crown from favorites 

would be the underdogs or the least favorite contestants you would like to make it to the Top 16 

Choose only one... 

Coke or Pepsi 
Apple or Samsung 
Blush on or Lipstick 
Miss Universe or Career 
Survivor or The Amazing Race 
PC or Smartphone 
Dance or Sing 
Talent or Skill 
Music or TV 
Facebook or Twitter 
Beach or City 
Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates 
Shoes or Barefoot 
Hot Guys or Rich Guys 
Sexy But Very Ugly or Beautiful But Very Fat (both are poor; not wealthy)