The Amazing Race 18

The Amazing Race 18 (also known as The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business) is the eighteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 18 featured eleven teams of two – each returning from a previous edition for the first time since Season 11 – in a race around the world for a $1 million prize.

The eighteenth cycle started on Sunday, February 20, 2011. It aired on CBS in the United States on Sunday nights at 8:00 pm ET/PT with the two-hour season finale on May 8, 2011. The show is hosted by Phil Keoghan.

It is the first American season of The Amazing Race to be filmed and broadcast in high-definition.

Sisters Kisha and Jen Hoffman from Season 14 were the winners of this season.

The complete season was released on DVD on September 8, 2015, via Amazon.com's CreateSpace program.

Production

Development and filming

The Amazing Race 18 was the first season of the United States series to be broadcast in high-definition television. While most other prime-time television shows have transitioned to high definition, including other reality television shows, previous seasons of The Amazing Race have used standard-definition television due to the cost and fragility of high-definition recording equipment. International versions of The Amazing Race, including the fourth Asian and second Latin American seasons, had already transitioned to high-definition. In addition, many previous editions of Elimination Station were filmed in high-definition. This season of the Race traveled a little over 40,000 miles (64,000 km) across 23 cities and five continents.

The race's Starting Line was at the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm near Palm Springs, California.

Filming started on November 20, 2010 at the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm near Palm Springs, California where the first task had teams sorting through hundreds of paper airplanes to find one that said "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services", the full name of Qantas Airways, awarding them one of two flights to their first destination: Sydney, Australia. Teams were spotted at Oceanworld in Manly near Sydney, Australia around November 22, 2010 and a day later around the mining town of Broken Hill, New South Wales in the Australian Outback. Other locales cited as destinations are Yokohama, Japan, where teams swam in freezing waters near Mount Fuji, and the series' first visit to Liechtenstein, where a task had teams measure the length of the principality on mopeds. Teams also visited Lijiang and Kunming, China; Kolkata and Varanasi, India; Vienna, Austria; Zermatt, Switzerland; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Snapple sponsored this season of The Amazing Race, with "Snapple Real Facts" introduced during commercial breaks. The sixth leg of "Unfinished Business" – taking place in Kolkata, India – features several tasks involving a papaya-and-mango flavored tea Snapple developed and named after the show. Ford also sponsored the season, with their new Focus serving as the prize car for the season.

The Express Pass, introduced in the previous series, returned, allowing the team that places first in the first leg to skip any later task in the race. The last team to complete the first task was forced to complete a U-Turn in the next leg, performing both tasks of the leg's Detour. A new game mechanic was also introduced in this season: legs without a mandatory rest period between them. At the end of the first leg in Sydney, Australia, and the fourth leg in Lijiang, China, teams were told their placements and then ordered to keep racing with a new Route Info clue; the first team to check in was still awarded a prize and the last team to check in was not eliminated and did not have to perform a Speed Bump in the next leg.

Casting

See also: List of The Amazing Race (U.S. TV series) contestants

The 18th season of The Amazing Race has been subtitled "Unfinished Business", and features eleven returning teams from previous seasons for a second chance to win the million dollar prize. Keoghan described all the contestants as teams that "came so close to winning but for one reason or another just didn't quite make it over the finish line in first place". Keoghan gave examples of two teams: Zev and Justin from Season 15, who had finished first on a leg, but one of them had lost his passport too late to continue racing; and LaKisha and Jennifer from Season 14, where they took an unfortunately-timed restroom break while racing to the Pit Stop and were eliminated. The prior experience of all the teams in previous seasons allowed the producers to increase the difficulty of the various tasks and challenges they were to face. All of the teams have been from recent seasons of the Race; the earliest season represented is the 12th. According to Bertram Van Munster, they stayed with more recent teams because "if we're digging too far back, people might not even remember who they were". The 14th season is represented by five of the eleven teams; Van Munster called this particular version of the race "a very unique season" and justified its larger proportion of teams. Though they had considered fan-favorites Toni and Dallas from the 13th season, Keoghan stated they felt the other selected teams "have the best stories and the best motivation" for casting.

The returning teams, their prior race placements, and their "Unfinished Business" are:

• From Season 12:
  • Ron and Christina Hsu, father and daughter, 2nd place; Ron & Christina had a huge lead for most of the final leg in Anchorage, until Christina was brought down by the final mind-blowing Roadblock, costing them the race.
  • Kent Kaliber and Vyxsin Fiala, dating goths and Hot Topic models, 5th place; Kent & Vyxsin suffered a communications breakdown in Tuscany due to their lack of experience driving a car with a manual transmission. They also wasted their U-Turn power by erroneously using it on a team that was ahead of them.
• From Season 14:
  • Margie and Luke Adams, mother and son, 3rd place; although Margie & Luke were in the lead for most of the final leg in Maui, Luke stumbled at the final Roadblock, costing them the race.
  • Amanda Blackledge and Kris Klicka, engaged (dating in Season 14), 8th place; Amanda & Kris were U-Turned by Margie & Luke in Siberia, resulting in Amanda & Kris's elimination.
  • Jaime Edmondson and Cara Rosenthal, former cheerleaders for the NFL's Miami Dolphins, 2nd place; Jaime & Cara's cab driver in Maui got lost on the way to the final Roadblock destination, costing Jaime & Cara valuable time.
  • Kisha and Jen Hoffman, sisters and sports coaches, 4th place; Kisha & Jen were U-Turned by Tammy & Victor in Beijing, China. In addition, on the way to the Pit Stop, Kisha & Jen took an emergency bathroom break after Jen drank four bottles of water during the Roadblock. As a result, they were overtaken and Kisha & Jen fell to last place and were eliminated.
  • Mel and Mike White, father and son writers, 6th place; Mel & Mike's cab driver took them to the wrong place in Phuket, setting them behind all the other teams. Mel & Mike could not recover from this setback and were eliminated.
• From Season 15:
  • Zev Glassenberg and Justin Kanew, best friends, 9th place; after checking in first in Phnom Penh, Zev & Justin realized they had lost Zev's passport and they were unable to find it before all other remaining teams checked in, resulting in Zev & Justin's elimination.
  • Herbert "Flight Time" Lang and Nathaniel "Big Easy" Lofton, teammates on the Harlem Globetrotters, 4th place; Big Easy could not complete the Kafka-themed Roadblock in Prague and took a 4-hour penalty, resulting in Flight Time & Big Easy's elimination.
• From Season 16:
  • Jet and Cord McCoy, brothers and rodeo cowboys, 2nd place; on the plane from Shanghai to San Francisco, eventual winners Dan & Jordan were able to move up to first class for free, giving them a lead that Jet & Cord were never able to overcome.
• From Season 17:
  • Gary and Mallory Ervin, father and daughter, 6th place; Gary & Mallory got lost for several hours trying to find the Roadblock location in Oman, only lost 5 minutes before the 5th team arrived at the Pit Stop.

Results

The following teams participated in the Race, each listed along with their placements in each leg and relationships as identified by the program. Note that this table is not necessarily reflective of all content broadcast on television, owing to the inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order:

Team	Relationship	Position (by leg)												Roadblocks
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	⋐9⋑	10	11	12
Kisha & Jen	Sisters	3rd	4th	4th	5th	4th	6th	3rd	4th	2nd	2nd	2nd	1st	Kisha 6, Jen 6
Flight Time & Big Easy	Harlem Globetrotters	5th	2nd	5th2	6th	6th⋐	7th	1st	2nd	5th⊃	1st	3rd	2nd	Flight Time 6, Big Easy 6
Gary & Mallory	Father/Daughter	1st	9th	2nd	3rd	2ndε4	1st	4th	6th	4th	3rd	1st	3rd	Gary 6,4 Mallory 6
Zev & Justin	Best Friends	4th	1st	1st	8th	8th	4th	2nd	1st	1st	4th	4th		Zev 5, Justin 5
Kent & Vyxsin	Dating Goths	10th	7th	7th	9th	5th⊃5	5th	6th	3rd	3rd	5th6			Kent 4, Vyxsin 5
Jet & Cord	Brothers/Cowboys	11th	3rd	6th	2nd	1st	2nd	5th	5th	6th⊂				Jet 4, Cord 4
Ron & Christina	Father/Daughter	8th	10th	3rd	4th	7th	3rd	7th						Ron 3, Christina 3
Margie & Luke	Mother/Son	7th	5th	8th	1st	3rd	8th							Margie 2, Luke 3
Jaime & Cara	Former NFL Cheerleaders	6th	8th	9th	7th	9th⊂ ⋑								Jaime 2, Cara 2
Mel & Mike	Father/Son	9th	6th	10th3										Mel 1, Mike 1
Amanda & Kris	Engaged	2nd	11th∪1											Amanda 1, Kris 0

• A red team placement means the team was eliminated.
• A purple ε indicates that the team decided to use the Express Pass on that leg.
• An underlined leg number indicates that there was no mandatory rest period at the Pit Stop and all teams were ordered to continue racing. The first place team was still awarded a prize for that leg, but the last place team did not have to perform a Speed Bump, which is why their placement doesn't have a blue underline.
• An underlined blue team's placement indicates that the team came in last on a non-elimination leg and had to perform a Speed Bump during the next leg of the race.
• An orange ∪ indicates that the team was penalized for finishing last in the Starting Line task and were subject to an automatic U-Turn at the first Detour of the Race.
• A brown ⊃ or a cyan ⋑ indicates that the team chose to use one of the two U-Turns in a Double U-Turn; ⊂ or ⋐ indicates the team who received it; ⋐⋑ around a leg number indicates that only one of the two available U-Turns was used.

1. ^ Amanda & Kris's automatic U-Turn penalty occurred in Leg 2.
2. ^ Flight Time & Big Easy were initially checked in 3rd; however, they were retroactively issued a 30-minute penalty when Ron & Christina told Phil that the Globetrotters had taken their fanny pack by accident and did not return it to them. Ron & Christina were moved up to 3rd, and Kisha & Jen, who checked in within the half-hour penalty period, were checked in for 4th, ultimately dropping the Globetrotters to 5th.
3. ^ Mel & Mike were treated for hypothermia while trying to complete the "Frog of Luck" Detour. They were unable to complete the task, and were told by the show's producers to go directly to the Pit Stop for elimination from The Amazing Race.
4. ^^{a b} Gary & Mallory used the Express Pass to bypass the Roadblock in Leg 5. Before using the Express Pass, Gary elected to perform the Roadblock, and this is reflected in the total Roadblock count.
5. ^ When Kent & Vyxsin finished Leg 4, they were issued a 30-minute penalty for failing to take the required flight from Tokyo-Narita to Kunming, to be served at the next Pit Stop. They arrived at the Leg 5 Pit Stop 4th; during their penalty Kisha & Jen checked in, dropping Kent & Vyxsin to 5th.
6. ^ Kent & Vyxsin initially arrived 3rd, but were issued a 30-minute penalty for taking a taxi instead of going on foot from the Roadblock to the Pit Stop as the clue had specified. Gary & Mallory and Zev & Justin, the only teams trailing Kent and Vyxsin at that point, checked in during the penalty time and Kent & Vyxsin were eliminated before the 30 minutes elapsed.

Episode title quotes

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.

1. "Head Down and Hold On" – Jaime & Cara's sailing instructor (non-racer)
2. "I Never Looked So Foolish in My Whole Entire Life" – Kisha
3. "We Had a Lot of Evil Spirits Apparently" – Christina
4. "This is the Most Stupid Day Ever" – Vyxsin
5. "Don't Ruin the Basketball Game" – Mallory
6. "I Feel Like a Monkey in a Circus Parade" – Gary
7. "You Don't Get Paid Unless You Win" – Cord
8. "I Cannot Deal With Your Psycho Behavior" – Vyxsin
9. "We're Good American People" – Zev
10. "Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen)" – Zev
11. "This is Where It Ends" – Justin

Prizes

The prize for each leg is awarded to the first place team for that leg. All trips are sponsored by Travelocity; the Leg 6 prize is sponsored by Snapple and the Leg 8 prize is sponsored by Ford.

• Leg 1 – The Express Pass – an item that can be used on the race to skip any one task of the team's choosing.
• Leg 2 – A trip for two to Cancun, Mexico
• Leg 3 – A trip for two to the Hotel Punta Islita in Costa Rica
• Leg 4 – A trip for two to Aruba
• Leg 5 – US$5,000 each
• Leg 6 – An Indian dinner for two featuring Bollywood-inspired dance entertainment, and ₹1,000,000 (over US$20,000) to share
• Leg 7 – A trip for two to Hawaiʻi
• Leg 8 – A 2012 Ford Focus for each racer
• Leg 9 – A trip for two to Curaçao
• Leg 10 – A trip for two to the Cook Islands
• Leg 11 – A cruise for two on the Mediterranean Sea with visits to Rome and Casablanca
• Leg 12 – US$1,000,000

Phil's Video Diary

A new feature to this season is an online show, allowing the viewers to see what happens behind the scenes of the Race, hosted by Keoghan. This feature replaces the "Elimination Station" videos as seen in previous seasons.

• Episode 1: The night before the first leg, Phil prepares to meet the eleven teams at Palm Springs, California. He then films the helicopter shots seen at the start of the episode. While traveling to Sydney, Phil explains that the flight had been delayed, meaning that the Pit Stop crew then only had a small time advantage over the teams. The final portion of the diary shows Phil filming the Pit Stop segment.
• Episode 2: Phil films the establishing shot for Shelly Beach and quickly cleans his hair outside, revealing he had not showered before the film crew left Los Angeles. As they drive to Oceanworld Manly to film the Roadblock's establishing shots, Phil sticks his head out of the car window to dry it. Later, Phil explains that they are now flying back to Sydney to catch a flight to Japan, and at the airport, he plays around on the luggage carousel, pretending to be a piece of luggage.
• Episode 3: Phil and the production crew arrive in Narita, Japan, and Phil explains why he loves to visit Japan. They head to the Yuhi Falls featured in the "Prayer of Purity" Detour task, enjoying the scenery, before explaining the task to his diary camera and then filming the piece for the show.
• Episode 4: The film crew lands in Lijiang, China, and Phil explains the Baishui River crossing tourist attraction before filming the explanation for the "Yak Yak Yak" task. After the group heads to the top of Jade Dragon Mountain, Phil shares some grilled yak with one of the film crew, before the filming of the Roadblock explanation in Spruce Meadow is shown.
• Episode 5: The film crew arrives in Kunming and Phil prepares to film the explanation of the "Embrace the Future" Detour Task, before poking fun at Barry, the sound technician, and how he has lost his voice. Later, while on the way to the Stone Forest, Barry has his voice back, and they film the Roadblock segment using time-lapse photography. Phil then comments on how the competition has ramped up on Leg 5 and he is interested in who will come in first on the Leg.
• Episode 6: Phil and the production team arrive in Kolkata, and Phil remarks at how empty the streets are at 3 o'clock in the morning. By daybreak, the streets are full of cars and people, and Phil remarks on how he loves it when the Race goes to India. Phil arrives in Jorasanko to explain the Detour tasks, and then they visit the Victoria Institution School for the end of the "Bengali Literature" Detour task. At the Pit Stop location, Phil plays cricket with several local children until he breaks the bat, and apologizes to them, before filming the establishing shot for the Pit Stop.
• Episode 7: In Varanasi, Phil remarks on how busy the city is in the morning, much like Kolkata. Phil walks down towards the Ganges, looking at the vegetable stalls on the way to the river. On the Ganges to film the Detour segments, Phil relaxes and says how he is enjoying traveling on the river. The film crew then heads to Ramnagar Fort to wait at the Pit Stop, where Phil once again enjoys watching the Ganges as the sun sets.
• Episode 8: Arriving in Vienna from Delhi, Phil remarks on how different the weather is from India, as it is winter in the northern hemisphere. Phil walks through one of Vienna's Christmas markets before heading to the Austrian National Library where he rides on a horse-drawn carriage before filming the Detour introduction where the Detour choices are named "Father of Psychoanalysis" and "Mother of All Meals", rather than "Long Hard Walk" and "Quick and Easy Meal". The crew then heads to the Sigmund Freud Museum for the Freud's couch Detour before going to the Wiener Riesenrad for the eating Detour, where Barry eats a serving of Wiener Schnitzel, while a microphone is up against the schnitzel.
• Episode 9: The crew arrives in Zermatt, Switzerland, and Phil films the bus they rode and the surroundings. He then walks down the main street to the Detour tasks, commenting on how they only allow electric vehicles in the city. Later, Phil attempts to figure out how the VéloSoleX works, before he rides it in the Liechtenstien Roadblock explanation.
• Episode 10: Phil and the film crew leave their hotel early in the morning to head for the helicopter port that will take them onto the glaciers of the Matterhorn to film the Detour segment. They then take a gondola lift back down the mountain to Zermatt.
• Episode 11: Phil takes in the view of Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach from his balcony, before heading to the beauty salon where a few crew members are being used to demonstrate the waxing route marker. Later, they head to the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum to prepare for the Pit Stop and film the portion explaining the museum before the next leg begins.

Race summary

The complete race route of The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business.

Destinations	Air travel    Rail travel    Water travel    Bus travel Helicopter travel    Bicycle travel    Gondola travel
Route Markers	Detour    Roadblock    U-Turn    Speed Bump    Pit Stop

Leg 1 (United States → Australia)

At Oceanworld Manly in Sydney, teams participated in a Roadblock where they did the Shark Dive Extreme: a scuba dive in the aquarium's shark tank.

Airdate: February 20, 2011

• Palm Springs, California, United States (San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm) (Starting Line)
• Los Angeles (Los Angeles International Airport) to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Sydney Airport)
• Mascot (International railway station) to Sydney (Circular Quay railway station)
• Sydney (Circular Quay Wharf – Sydney Ferries) to Manly (Manly Wharf)
• Manly (Oceanworld Manly)
• Manly (Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club)
• Manly (Shelly Beach)

Teams started at San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm through containing hundreds of paper airplanes matching the word "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services", this given a reference to Qantas and present it to Phil to receive tickets for their first destination: Sydney, Australia, with the first eight teams on the first flight, and the last three teams on the second. The last team to complete the task would be penalized with a U-Turn on the first Detour. Teams then take one of Ford Focuses to Los Angeles International Airport.

In Sydney, teams had to take by train to Circular Quay and ferry to Manly, directed them to Oceanworld Manly for the Roadblock. One team member had to scuba dive inside the ray tank and search for compass, which they decipher a message written from a nautical flags. The message decoded was Manly 16 ft Skiff Sailing Club, find the Commodore, and tell him the password "I am Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea". The team member received their clue instructed teams to changed into wet suits, join a sailing crew and ride a 16ft Skiff through a race course to a series of buoys that had their next clue to the Pit Stop at Shelly Beach. However, they would be continuing racing.

Leg 2 (Australia)

The leg majorly taking place in the city of Broken Hill, at the Australian Outback.

Airdate: February 27, 2011

• Sydney (Sydney Town Hall – To Sail To Stop Sculpture)
• Sydney (Sydney Airport) to Broken Hill (Broken Hill Airport)
• Broken Hill (The Living Desert Reserve)
• Broken Hill (Central Football Club)
• Broken Hill (Intersection of Mercury St. and Bismuth St.)
• Broken Hill (Junction Mine)

From the Pit Stop, teams received their clue and find "To Sail To Stop", which had to figure out a sculpture of an anchor near Sydney Town Hall. From there, they could sign up one of two charter flights to Broken Hill in the Outback, the second flight leave half an hour later. In Broken Hill, teams were instructed to take the marked vehicles and drive to The Living Desert for the Detour. In Spirit World, teams made an Australian Aboriginal stone mosaic based on a model, and then had to perform a dance that is traditionally done to honor ancestors to the standards of Aboriginal elder. In Natural World, teams made traditional Australian Aboriginal paintings by spraying a mix of water and a clay-like pigment out of their mouths to make four specific silhouette images on a piece of slate (an outline of each of their hands and stencils of a lizard and a kangaroo).

Teams received their clues and had to find the "home of the Magpies", leaving to figure out was the Broken Hill Football League's Central Magpies Australian rules football team's stadium: Central Football Club, teams dressed up as kangaroos complete with Kangoo Jump shoes and were given a periodic table with the highlighted symbols: Hg and Bi, knowing to figure out these symbols for mercury and bismuth and that those elements were also names of two streets that met at an intersection to their next clue that directed them to Junction Mine for the Pit Stop.

Leg 3 (Australia → Japan)

Airdate: March 6, 2011

• Broken Hill (Broken Hill railway station) to Haymarket (Central railway station)
• Sydney (Sydney Airport) to Tokyo, Japan (Narita International Airport)
• Tokyo (Rotating Parking Garage)
• Kamakura (Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū – Yabusame Dojo)
• Minamiashigara (Daiyūzan Station – Kintarō Statue)
• Minamiashigara (Yuhi Falls or Madarame Farm)
• Kurihama, Yokosuka (Commodore Perry Monument Template:Ja icon)

Teams traveled back to Sydney and received their clue, flying to Tokyo, Japan and headed to Rotating Parking Garage to choose a marked car, directing them to Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū in Kamakura for the Roadblock. The selected team member dressed in traditional samurai archer and learned the Yabusame ritual before a traditional posing with the yumi bow. Once they performed the first two aspects of the ritual to the dojo master's satisfaction, mount a rotating wooden horse and hit a wooden target with an arrow for their next clue, sending them to Daiyūzan Station in Minamiashigara where they faced the Detour. In Prayer of Purity, teams put on keikogi to the nearby woods where they would take part in a Shinto cleansing ritual. First they would have to learn a prayer that consisted of a chant, lighting incense, and then shouting while thrusting a walking stick out in front of them. Once they completed the prayers, they would stand under the Yuhi Falls and endure being drenched in 45 °F (7 °C) water cascading down onto them for one minute. In Frog of Luck, teams stripped down to their undergarments and put on fundoshi over them before walking out to a mudpit where they had to search for a toy frog in the mud while having mud thrown at them by locals. Once they found the frog, they would have to present it to the nearby frog master. After the Detour, teams directed to Commodore Perry Monument in Yokosuka for the Pit Stop.

Leg 4 (Japan → China)

In Lijiang, teams rode yaks on the terraces of the Baishui River, beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

Airdate: March 13, 2011

• Tokyo (Narita International Airport) to Kunming, China (Kunming Wujiaba International Airport)
  • Kunming (Kunming Wujiaba International Airport) to Lijiang (Lijiang Airport)
• Kunming (Kunming Railway Station) to Lijiang (Lijiang Train Station)
• Lijiang (Jade Dragon Mountain)
• Lijiang (Spruce Meadow)
• Lijiang (Old Town of Lijiang)
• Lijiang (Eternal Tower on Lion Hill)

Teams traveled to Lijiang, China where gave a pre-arranged provided flight to Kunming and boarded the train to Lijiang. On arrival, they headed to Jade Dragon Mountain where they saddle a yak which one team member rode the yak across a portion of the Baishui River to receive their next clue, sending to Spruce Meadow for the Roadblock. The selected team member searched through tens of thousands of wooden charms with a set of twelve symbols of the Chinese zodiac. Once they collected the charms, they had to place them on a mobile in the correct order (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig). Teams then headed to Old Town of Lijiang and they had to put a wish into a prayer wheel on their sign of corresponding Chinese zodiac that faced the Detour. In Hammer, teams traveled to a candy shop where they used wooden mallets to pulverize a peanut brittle into the right consistency. They then had to cut it into pieces and box. In Horn, teams traveled to a square where they had to pick up a large traditional horn and lead a group of Nakhi dancers to Wencheng Palace. From there, teams directed to Eternal Tower on Lion Hill for the Pit Stop, but Phil asked all teams to continue racing.

Leg 5 (China)

Teams traveled to the Stone Forest outside Kunming for a Roadblock paying homage to Yunnan's contributions to the field of paleontology.

Airdate: March 20, 2011

• Lijiang (Lijiang Train Station) to Kunming (Kunming Railway Station)
• Kunming (Dounan Flower Market)
• Kunming (Golden Horse and Jade Cock Memorial Archway Template:Zh icon)
• Kunming (Yunnan Province Cultural Center or China Great Wall Assets Management Company)
• Kunming (Yunnan Province Cultural Center)
• Shilin Yi Autonomous County (Stone Forest – Lion Pavilion)
• Kunming (Green Lake Park)

From the Pit Stop, teams received the clue and travel by train back to Kunming, headed to Dounan Flower Market and searched their next clue from amongst the flowers, directing them to Golden Horse and Jade Cock Memorial Archway where they faced their Detour. In Honor the Past, teams had to put on a Tibetan outfit at the Yunnan Province Cultural Center and then watch a theater troupe. Without having taken any notes, they had to go off-stage, and put a series of 15 dolls dressed up like the actors in the order of the procession on stage. In Embrace the Future, teams had to put on safety gear and then bring three heavy boxes up to the roof of the China Great Wall Assets Management Company building. Once there, they had to help assemble a solar water heating system to the engineer's standards. Teams received the photo of their next location and left to figure out was the Yunnan Province Cultural Center (referred to in the show as the Chinese Minority Heritage Center) for their next clue, sending to Stone Forest for the Roadblock. The team member had to assemble a life-size 20-foot (6.1 m) long model of a Dilophosaurus. Once the model was properly built, a paleontologist would give them their next clue. If at any point the paleontologist believed that the model was structurally unsafe, the racer would have to start over. From there, teams heading to Green Lake for the Pit Stop.

Leg 6 (China → India)

The grounds surrounding the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata was the Pit Stop of this Leg of the Race.

Airdate: March 27, 2011

• Kunming (Jin Fu Yi Zhan Tea Shop)
• Kunming (Kunming Wujiaba International Airport) to Kolkata, India (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport)
• Kolkata (Kolkata Town Hall)
• Kolkata (Jorasanko Thakur Bari – Tiwari Tea Stall)
• Kolkata (Rakhal Paul and Sons statue shop or Dey's Publishing house and Victoria Institution High School and College)
• Kolkata (Maidan – Fountain of Joy)

Teams received their clue and headed Jin Fu Yi Zhan Tea Shop, to take part in a Chinese tea tasting ceremony to a taste of the papaya-and-mango-infused tea. Once the taste was complete, they would receive a brick of tea along with their next clue, heading to Kolkata, India and traveled to Kolkata Town Hall for the Roadblock. One team member had to take part in an Indian tea tasting ceremony. First, they had to take a papaya, mango and brick of tea from Kunming. Then, they had to search among several hundred tea cups for one that held the same papaya-and-mango-infused tea that they tasted in China to a right tea to the auctioneer. The team member received the clue and teams were given a bottle of Snapple iced tea and were left to figure out printed inside the lid was Jorasanko Thakur Bari and then search for the Tiwari Tea Stall to trade the Snapple bottle and the Detour clue. In Hindu Art, teams traveled to the Rakhal Paul and Sons statue shop where they had to paint and then dress a statue of the Hindu god Ganesha. In Bengali Literature, teams traveled to the Dey's Publishing house and picked up eight bundles of the children's book Introduction to the Bengali Alphabet. They then got into a rickshaw school bus and traveled across town to the Victoria Institution High School and College and deliver the books to the grounds for the offices of the headmistress of the school. From there, teams directed to the Pit Stop at Maidan's Fountain of Joy.

Leg 7 (India)

In the holy city of Varanasi on the shores of the Ganges, teams participated in a Roadblock where they sought out Hindu holy men known as sadhus.

Airdate: April 10, 2011

• Kolkata (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport) to Varanasi (Varanasi Airport)
• Varanasi (Tonga Stand)
• Varanasi (Tulsi Ghat – Swaminath Akhara)
• Varanasi (Ganges – Sakka Ghat or Ksameshwar Ghat)
• Ramnagar (Ramnagar Fort)

Teams traveled to the holy city of Varanasi, heading to Tonga Stand for the Roadblock. The selected member had to search the streets near for six different sadhus who would give out one of six pieces of a phrase described as "the meaning of life": "Once you're over the hill you pick up speed". Once the racer had all six fragments of the phrase, he or she would have to provide the phrase to a seventh sadhu who would give them their next clue. Teams headed next to Tulsi Ghat for the Detour. In Feed the Fire, teams traveled down the Ganges to Sakka Ghat to the home of a milkman where they had to make 50 traditional fuel patties made from water buffalo manure and then slap them against a wall to allow them to dry. When the supervisor was satisfied with their work, teams had to light a stove with dried fuel patties to boil milk for local children before receiving their clue. In Feed the Buffalo, the teams had to cross the Ganges to collect two bales of hay. which were to be delivered to the addresses attached to them. The teams were then required to return over the Ganges to Ksameshwar Ghat, where they had to locate the addresses to which they were to deliver the hay. After the Detour, teams sent them to Ramnagar Fort for the Pit Stop.

Leg 8 (India → Austria)

Teams traveled from the Austrian capital of Vienna to Salzburg, where they ended Villa Trapp, the main setting of The Sound of Music, was served as the Pit Stop of the Race.

Airdate: April 17, 2011

• Varanasi (Varanasi Airport) to Vienna, Austria (Vienna International Airport)
• Schollach (Schallaburg Castle)
• Vienna (Austrian National Library – Prunksaal)
• Vienna (Sigmund Freud Museum and University of Vienna or Wiener Riesenrad ferris wheel)
• Salzburg (Sternbräu Restaurant)
• Salzburg (Villa Trapp Template:De icon)

Teams traveled to Vienna, Austria and went into the airport's parking garage to choose a Ford Focus. Once inside, they received a message from Phil to reverse the car to activate the MyFord Touch's rear view camera system. As they backed up, teams would be able to read the name of their next destination spelled out on the pavement behind the car: Schloss Schallaburg. Once at the castle, teams were given a large book with a stamp on the front page with the text: "Librarian Prunksaal/Österreichische Nationalbibliothek", the Austrian National Library and look the Prunksaal section to exchange their Detour clue. In Long Hard Walk, teams traveled to the Sigmund Freud Museum (Sigmund Freud's former home) to pick up a psychoanalysis couch, walk 1 mile (1.6 km) and then deliver it to the University of Vienna. In Quick and Easy Meal, teams traveled to the Wiener Riesenrad and picked up two large servings of Wiener Schnitzel, Sauerkraut, and Sachertorte. They then boarded one of the Riesenrad's ferris wheel cars where, while a violinist played some Viennese music and have to finish both servings within twelve minutes.

Teams drive themselves to Salzburg and find Sternbräu Restaurant for the Roadblock. The team member chose a chimney sweep instructor and then put on the traditional chimney sweep uniform. They then went to the roof of the building and used a weight with wire mesh on a rope to clean one of the chimneys three times. Once complete, they went to the basement and opened up one of the chimney cleaning doors that held their next clue, directing them to Villa Trapp for the Pit Stop.

Leg 9 (Austria → Liechtenstein → Switzerland)

For the Roadblock in the Alps, racers traversed the entire country of Liechtenstein on bicycle, ending their trip at Gutenberg Castle.

Airdate: April 24, 2011

• Salzburg (Salzburg Hauptbahnhof) to Feldkirch (Feldkirch railway station)
• Schaanwald, Liechtenstein
• Balzers (Gutenberg Castle)
• Balzers to Sargans, Switzerland
• Sargans (Sargans railway station) to Zermatt (Zermatt railway station)
• Zermatt (Restaurant Walliserkanne Zermatt or Zermatt railway station)
• Zermatt (Hinterdorf near the Inderbinen-Brunnen)
• Zermatt (Bergrestaurant-Moos Template:De icon)

Teams rode a train to Feldkirch and made their way across the border to Liechtenstein, to the town of Schaanwald. The Speed Bump had to require a right mixture of gasoline and oil to power their VéloSoleX motorized bicycle to measure 25 parts gasoline to 1 part of oil, and had to figure out that 2 liters (0.53 U.S. gal) of gasoline would fulfill the mixture ratio. The Roadblock that team member had to use an odometer and a VéloSoleX to measure the entire length of Liechtenstein, riding 22 km (14 mi) from Schaanwald to Balzers. At the end, they would meet up with former Winter Olympics alpine ski racer Marco Büchel and give him the distance that would guess the right answer. If they were correct, Büchel would direct them to Gutenberg Castle to reunite with their partner.

Teams received the clue and headed to Sargans, Switzerland, with a train to Zermatt. Once there, they went at Zermatt railway station for the Detour. In Cheese, teams traveled to the Restaurant Walliserkanne Zermatt where they would share the entire pot of cheese fondue. Once the pot was empty, the restaurateur would give them an empty fondue pot with the name of the next location printed on the inside. In Wheeze, teams had to dress up as bellhops and pick up a pieces of luggage. Using a provided luggage cart, they had to deliver the suitcases to different hotels throughout Zermatt where they would receive receipt tags for each piece of luggage. Once they had a total of 20 receipt tags from at least five different hotels, they could trade them in to the head porter for their next clue. From there, teams instructed their clues and directed to Inderbinen-Brunnen for the next clue, where they must take an electric taxi to Bergrestaurant-Moos for the Pit Stop.

Leg 10 (Switzerland)

In this Leg, teams traveled to the Matterhorn where they participated in mountain rescue-themed Detour tasks.

Airdate: May 1, 2011

• Zermatt (Air Zermatt Template:De icon Rescue Helicopter Port)
• Matterhorn
• Riffelalp to Zermatt (via Gornergratbahn)
• Zermatt (Le Petit Cervin)
• Zermatt (Chalet Gädi – Swiss Cabin)

Teams received their clue and headed to Rescue Helicopter Port in Air Zermatt, to sign up for a series of helicopter flights to their next location, leaving within 5 minute intervals to the Detour in Matterhorn. In Search, teams used a set of avalanche beacons for a dummy buried in the snow, they then had to dig out the whole dummy before they could receive their next clue. In Rescue, teams used a special hoisting device to rescue a mountaineer trapped in a crevasse. One team member had to rappel down to a carabiner to the mountaineer. The other team member had to use a pulley to their partner to complete the rescue. Teams then took a train from Riffelalp to Zermatt, and find Le Petit Cervin for the Roadblock. One team member made a Travelocity Roaming Gnome out of Swiss chocolate for approval of the head chocolatier. First, the they had to decorate a chocolate mold with colored chocolate. Once the mold was properly decorated, the team member had the mold filled with chocolate and then buried it in the snow outside for 30 minutes in order to harden the chocolate. They then removed the gnome from the mold and covered up imperfections with more colored chocolate. If the creations were correct, they exchange it to a real Roaming Gnome for their next clue, directed to travel by foot to the Pit Stop in Chalet Gädi.

Leg 11 (Switzerland → Brazil)

While visiting Rio de Janeiro, the Roadblock had teams learning the samba for a Carnival parade.

Airdate: May 8, 2011

• Zermatt (Zermatt railway station)
• Zermatt (Zermatt railway station) to Zurich (Zürich Hauptbahnhof)
• Zurich (Zurich Airport) to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport)
• Rio de Janeiro (Carioca Aqueduct) to (Escadaria Selarón)
• Rio de Janeiro (Largo de São Francisco de Paula Template:Pt icon)
• Rio de Janeiro (Centro de Orientação Profissional Salon)
• Rio de Janeiro (Avenida Atlântica or Copacabana Beach)
• Niterói (Praia de Boa Viagem Template:Pt icon overlooking the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum)

Teams instructed to fly to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and take a tram from Carioca Aqueduct to Escadaria Selarón to search the tile-covered steps for a Route Info tile that would have their next clue, where it figure out that they had to head to Largo de São Francisco de Paula for the Roadblock. The team member had to participate in a Rio Carnival parade. After putting on special costumes, teams learned the samba and then led a parade of dancers. If the Carnival Princess approved their dance, teams would receive their next clue, sending the teams to Centro de Orientação Profissional Salon in Copacabana which they undergo a Brazilian body waxing session for 15 minutes.

Teams received their clue that where faced the Detour. In On the Rocks, teams traveled to the Espacio X bar on Avenida Atlântica near Copacabana Beach where they learned to make caipirinhas to mix up and properly prepared 100 caiparinhas. In On the Beach, teams had to pick up an umbrella loaded with bikinis and a mobile changing station and sell bikinis. Then, they convinced each customer to buy the bikini to show as a model, earned enough R$100 (approximately US$60). From there, teams headed to Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Niterói for the Pit Stop.

Leg 12 (Brazil → United States)

Pigeon Key Historic District, located along the Old Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys, was the finish line of The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business.

Airdate: May 8, 2011

• Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport) to Miami, Florida, USA (Miami International Airport)
• Virginia Key (Rickenbacker Marina)
• Key Largo (Jules' Undersea Lodge)
• Big Pine Key (U.S. 1 Mile Marker 29 – Seacamp)
• Orchid (Horseshoe Island)
• Big Pine Key (Seacamp) to Marathon (Galway Bay Mobile Home Park)
• Knight's Key (Old Seven Mile Bridge)
• Pigeon Key (Pigeon Key Historic District)

Teams traveled to Miami, Florida and head to Rickenbacker Marina for the first Roadblock. The team member had to learn how to operate a heavy load forklift to move a boat into drydock without dropping the boat which would destroy it. Once the boat was successfully moved, teams would receive their next clue, headed them to Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo for the second Roadblock, the other team member had to use a BOBdive submersible to search the lagoon of the Jules' Undersea Lodge for one of several floating treasure chests being surrounded by mermaid divers that contained their next clue.

Teams were given a riddle telling them to go to the Sea Camp near a mile marker on Big Pine Key by "subtract[ing] 4 from 33" (Mile Marker 29), instructed them to walk across a shallow portion of the Gulf of Mexico to Horseshoe Island for their next clue, and had to walk back to Big Pine Key where they would take a speedboat to the Galway Bay Mobile Home Park in Marathon where they had to set up a travel trailer as it appeared from a brochure. Once the trailer was set up with a lawn, a pool, plastic flamingoes, and a table setting, among other amenities, teams would receive their final clue from Miss Rose, instructed to travel to Seven Mile Bridge, they had to ride tricycles along the bridge to the Finish Line at Pigeon Key.

Ratings

US Ratings

#	Airdate	Episode	Rating	Share	Rating/Share	Viewers	Rank	Rank	Rank	Rank
			Households		18–49	(millions)	Timeslot (Viewers)	Timeslot (18–49)	Week (Viewers)	Week (18–49)
1	February 20, 2011	"Head Down and Hold On"	5.1	8	2.5/7	9.15	#2	#1 (tied)	#30	(<#25)
2	February 27, 2011	"I Never Looked So Foolish in My Whole Entire Life"	4.3	7	2.1/5	7.68	#2	#3	(<#30)	(<#25)
3	March 6, 2011	"We Had a Lot of Evil Spirits Apparently"	5.5	9	2.7/7	9.78	#2	#2	#22	#23
4	March 13, 2011	"This is the Most Stupid Day Ever"	5.3	9	2.7/8	9.44	#2	#2	#21	#17
5	March 20, 2011	"Don't Ruin the Basketball Game"	5.7	9	2.8/8	10.13	#1	#1 (tied)	#13	#18
6	March 27, 2011	"I Feel Like a Monkey in a Circus Parade"	6.2	10	3.2/9	10.96	#1	#1	#12	#14
7	April 10, 2011	"You Don't Get Paid Unless You Win"	6.0	9	2.9/8	10.48	#1	#1	#21	#18
8	April 17, 2011	"I Cannot Deal With Your Psycho Behavior"	5.1	8	2.4/7	8.78	#1	#1	#22	(<#25)
9	April 24, 2011	"We're Good American People"	5.3	9	2.6/8	9.37	#1	# 1	#17	#15
10	May 1, 2011	"Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen"	5.3	8	2.6/7	9.20	n/a	n/a	#20	#18
11	May 8, 2011	"This is Where It Ends"	5.0	8	2.5/7	8.97	#2	#1	(<#25)	#24

• Episode 2, "I Have Never Looked So Foolish In My Whole Entire Life", aired the same night as the 83rd Academy Awards.
• Episode 9, "We're Good American People", aired on Easter Sunday.
• Episode 10, "Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen", was delayed for one hour in most west coast CBS stations due to the breaking news coverage of the death of Osama bin Laden. (In four Pacific markets that air primetime from 7-10pm – Sacramento, Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma – the ending was not seen.)
• Episode 11, "This is Where It Ends", the two-hour season finale, aired on Mother's Day. It was the lowest-rated season finale in the show's history until the season 26 finale.

Canadian Ratings

Canadian broadcaster CTV also airs The Amazing Race on Sundays at 8 pm, with only two exceptions: Episode two aired an hour earlier than its normal start time due to CTV's broadcast of the 83rd Academy Awards. Episode six aired an hour earlier due to the said network's broadcast of the 2011 Juno Awards.

#	Airdate	Episode	Viewers (millions)	Rank (Week)
1	February 20, 2011	"Head Down and Hold On"	2.664	#4
2	February 27, 2011	"I Never Looked So Foolish in My Whole Entire Life"	1.621	#20
3	March 6, 2011	"We Had a Lot of Evil Spirits Apparently"	2.786	#1
4	March 13, 2011	"This is the Most Stupid Day Ever"	2.533	#3
5	March 20, 2011	"Don't Ruin the Basketball Game"	2.441	#3
6	March 27, 2011	"I Feel Like a Monkey in a Circus Parade"	1.809	#12
7	April 10, 2011	"You Don't Get Paid Unless You Win"	2.436	#5
8	April 17, 2011	"I Cannot Deal With Your Psycho Behavior"	2.569	#1
9	April 24, 2011	"We're Good American People"	2.326	#5
10	May 1, 2011	"Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen"	2.742	#3
11	May 8, 2011	"This is Where It Ends"	2.700	#2

External links

• Official website