A Race to the Finish for One Million Dollars

By: Brooke Price

Contestants travel across the world in “The Amazing Race.” Credit: realityblurred.com

“The Amazing Race” is back again this year for its 32nd year and fans can rejoice as they get to see contestants perform various challenges all across the world. 

In “The Amazing Race”, teams of two are tasked with racing to different countries and completing activities around the world to win the grand prize of one million dollars. 

Contestants compete in different challenges in the countries they are in, such as walking on a tightrope in a circus, buying food from a market in another language, or taking part in goat racing.

These challenges are physically and mentally demanding. Contestants need to be good at working under pressure since they will have other teams following closely behind them.

There are eleven teams that are participating in this season. They include father and son duo, Jerry and Frank, sisters Kaylynn and Haley, married parents Hung and Chee, best friends Nathan and Cody, and pro-volleyball players Riley and Maddison.

Other teams include couple Alana and Leo, sisters Michelle and Victoria, partners Will and James, siblings Aparna and Eswar, Olympic hurdlers Kellie and LaVonne, and former NFL players Gary and DeAngelo. 

Some teams form alliances with each other and help them with clues and give them tips on the challenges so that they could help each other succeed and go toward the finals.

There are around 12 legs of the race in each season. In each leg of the race, teams depart from one country and race to the other that they need to get to.

Time is of the essence since contestants who finish first are able to get on the earlier flights, while contestants who finish later will board the later flights and be at risk of elimination.

There are also yields and U-turns present which teams can use to slow down the other teams. If a team is yielded, they must sit out of the race for a certain amount of time. 

When a team U-turns another, they need to perform both detour challenges instead of one, which takes more time to complete. 

Teams are also given a budget to use on taxis and flights to get to their locations. They can also use this money to buy items at the local markets for challenges if they require it.

The race is also stressful and physically demanding because teams have to sometimes run to different locations carrying their heavy backpacks with them, or run throughout a crowded town in often times hot weather. 

Grabbing a taxi is also demanding since the drivers speak a different language and they could get lost. In some instances, the driver might not wait for the team after they completed a challenge and they will have to look for their driver or get another taxi.

The first-place winners of each leg of the race can receive prizes such as money or a trip to a luxury resort. 

This season marked a milestone as the franchise has consecutively traveled one million miles around the world.

This season of “The Amazing Race” began filming in November 2018 and the season stopped filming in December 2018. This season of the show was filmed before the coronavirus pandemic and was released this year because the shows that were supposed to be released earlier in the year were not filmed due to the pandemic. 

Catch “The Amazing Race” on CBS every Wednesday night at 8pm to see the sights of different countries from the comfort of your couch.