The Amazing Race 16

The Amazing Race 16
Season 16
Presented by	Phil Keoghan
No. of teams	11
No. of legs	12
Distance traveled	40,000 mi (64,000 km)
No. of episodes	12
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	February 14 – May 9, 2010
Additional information
Filming dates	November 28 – December 20, 2009
Season chronology

The Amazing Race 16 is the sixteenth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. This season featured eleven two-person teams, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world.

The sixteenth season started on Sunday, February 14, 2010 on CBS in the United States at 8:00 p.m ET with the season finale on May 9, 2010. In Canada, the show premiered on the A-Channel, not CTV (due to the 2010 Winter Olympics), but it returned to CTV after the Winter Olympics concluded. The show was hosted by Phil Keoghan.

Brothers Daniel "Dan" and Jordan Pious were the winners of this Race.

The season was released by CBS DVD on November 4, 2014, in a set that included all episodes and the accompanying Elimination Station webseries and available only through online purchase, manufactured by Amazon's CreateSpace.

Production

Development and filming

The mountainous Chilean town of Valparaíso was the first destination in the 16th season of The Amazing Race after teams started off at Vista Hermosa Natural Park in Los Angeles.

The sixteenth season spanned 40,000 miles (64,000 km) across five continents and nine countries, including Chile, Argentina, Germany, Singapore, China and for the first time, Seychelles.

Racers were observed leaving Los Angeles International Airport on November 28, 2009. For the third time, teams had to use public transportation to make their way from the Starting Line to the airport as in Seasons 1 and 6.

Racers checked into a Pit Stop in Puerto Varas, Chile, on December 2. Filming of the show also was reported in Bariloche, Argentina, and Germany. Production crews were reported in Singapore, particularly in the Bugis area and the Singapore Flyer.

In the third episode, which aired on February 28, 2010, and featured the contestants departing Chile, Phil Keoghan acknowledged the February 27, 2010, massive earthquake in Chile in a special opening.

Leg 4 featured an Intersection for the first time since Season 11. Also for the first time, teams did a Roadblock together, where one person from each of the Intersected teams worked together to complete the Roadblock. This is also the first time since Season 8 that two racers worked together to complete a Roadblock, and the first time an Intersection occurred on a leg other than Leg 8.

In Leg 8, Jet & Cord became the first team since the inception of the Speed Bump in Season 12 to finish in first place on a leg in which they had to complete a Speed Bump.

Leg 9 featured an appearance from Allan Wu, the host of The Amazing Race Asia and China Rush. Leg 9 was also the first time that a U-Turn warning was in the team's first clue, due to the fact that the team taking the Fast Forward option would have skipped the Detour and the U-Turn point. Also, Leg 9 was the first time a Fast Forward and a U-Turn occurred in the same leg.

At the end of Leg 10, the death of He Pingping was acknowledged. He appeared giving clues to the teams after the first Roadblock. Leg 10 was the first single-length leg of the Race to have two Roadblocks (Each team member had to complete one of the Roadblocks). The next leg featured Bao Xishun, the world's tallest man at the time, as the greeter at the Pit Stop in Shanghai.

Cast

See also: List of The Amazing Race (American TV series) contestants

Applications were originally due on July 10, 2009, but the deadline was extended. Semi-finalist interviews were held in August 2009 and the final casting interviews took place in Los Angeles in September and October 2009. Filming took place in November and December 2009.

Notable cast members included Big Brother 11 houseguests Jordan Lloyd and Jeff Schroeder, 2007 Miss South Carolina Teen USA Caite Upton, professional bull rider Cord McCoy, and Cleveland Indians third-base coach Steve Smith. Caite, 20, was the youngest contestant in the show's history (excluding the Family Edition); while Jody Kelly, 71, was the oldest contestant in the show's history. Other racers included cowboys, detectives, a lesbian couple, high school sweethearts, attorney moms, and the show's first Asian married couple.

Future appearances

Jet & Cord raced again in The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business among a cast made up of returning teams from seasons 12–17. They later raced again in The Amazing Race: All Stars among a cast of returning teams from seasons 14–23.

Jordan & Jeff competed on Big Brother 13 a year after this season and finished in fourth and seventh place respectively. On May 24, 2016, Jeff Schroeder appeared on a Big Brother-themed The Price is Right primetime special.

Results

The following teams participated in the Race, listed with their placements in each leg and relationships as identified by the program. The table does not include all broadcast content, because some data was excluded. Placements are listed in finishing order:

Team	Relationship	Position (by leg)												Roadblocks performed
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Dan & Jordan	Brothers	8th2	8th	6th	6th–	4th	5th	2nd	5th	1stƒ	3rd	3rd	1st	Dan 6, Jordan 5
Jet & Cord	Brothers/Cowboys	3rd	1st	1st	4th+	3rd	4th	6th8	1st	3rd	1st	2nd	2nd	Jet 6, Cord 6
Brent & Caite	Dating Models	7th1	4th	7th4	7th~	6th5	6th7	3rd	4th	2nd⊃	2nd	1st	3rd	Brent 7, Caite 5
Louie & Michael	Detectives	9th	9th	8th	1st+	1st⊃	1st	4th	3rd	4th	4th	4th		Louie 6, Michael 5
Carol & Brandy	Dating	6th	3rd	3rd	5th–	5th	2nd	5th	2nd	5th⊂				Carol 4, Brandy 4
Steve & Allie	Father/Daughter	4th	7th	2nd	2nd^	2nd	3rd	1st	6th					Steve 4, Allie 3
Jordan & Jeff	Newly Dating	1st	6th	5th	8th~	7th	7th							Jordan 2, Jeff 3
Joe & Heidi	Married	5th	2nd	4th	3rd^	8th⊂6								Joe 2, Heidi 2
Monique & Shawne	Moms/Attorneys	2nd	5th	9th										Monique 1, Shawne 2
Jody & Shannon	Grandmother/Granddaughter	10th	10th											Jody 1, Shannon 1
Dana & Adrian	High School Sweethearts	11th3												Dana 0, Adrian 13

• A red team placement indicates that the team was eliminated.
• A green ƒ indicates that the team won a Fast Forward clue.
• 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 task in the following leg.
• Matching colored symbols (pink +, teal ^, magenta –, and olive ~) indicate teams who worked together during part of the leg as a result of an Intersection.
• A brown ⊃ means the team chose to use a U-Turn; ⊂ indicates the team who received it.

1. ^ Brent & Caite initially arrived 2nd, but were issued a 30-minute penalty for going on foot instead of taking the funicular from the Roadblock as instructed in their clue. Five teams checked-in during their penalty time, dropping them to 7th.
2. ^ Dan & Jordan initially arrived 4th, but were issued a 15-minute penalty for losing a paintbrush during the additional task; Four teams (including Brent & Caite) checked-in during the penalty time, dropping Dan & Jordan to 8th.
3. ^ Dana & Adrian failed to complete the Roadblock in Leg 1. After Adrian's second attempt and after all other teams had already checked in at the Pit Stop, Phil came out to the Roadblock location to inform them of their elimination.
4. ^ Brent & Caite were left at the Pit Start for 3 hours and 5 minutes in Puerto Varas because both had to be treated for dehydration at the emergency room in a local hospital, and they departed last instead of 4th at Leg 3.
5. ^ Brent & Caite initially arrived 6th, but had missed the clue at the U-Turn, having arrived at their additional task by chance. They had to backtrack to the U-Turn to receive their clue. This did not affect their placement.
6. ^ Joe & Heidi failed to complete the second Detour task (In the Trenches) that they had to do as a result of being U-Turned. After all of the other teams had already checked in at the Pit Stop, Phil came out to their location to inform them of their elimination.
7. ^ Brent & Caite initially arrived 3rd, but did not complete the Detour, having arrived at the Pit Stop accidentally by chance after following Carol & Brandy. They had to backtrack to complete the Detour. Three teams checked-in while they went back, dropping Brent & Caite to 6th.
8. ^ Jet & Cord initially arrived 5th, but did not retrieve the clue giving directions to the Pit Stop after completing the Roadblock. They had to backtrack to retrieve the clue. Carol & Brandy checked in during this time, dropping Jet & Cord to last place; however they were not eliminated as Phil notified that this leg was non-elimination.

Episode title quotes

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

1. "Nanna Is Kickin' Your Butt" – Michael
2. "When the Cow Kicked Me in the Head" – Jody
3. "Run Like Scalded Dogs!" – Jet
4. "We Are No Longer in the Bible Belt" – Jet
5. "I Think We're Fighting the Germans, Right?" – Michael
6. "Cathy Drone?" – Dan
7. "Anonymous?" – Brent
8. "You're Like Jason Bourne, Right?" – Michael
9. "Dumb Did Us In" – Brandy
10. "I Feel Like I'm in, Like, Sicily" – Brent
11. "They Don't Even Understand Their Own Language" – Brent
12. "Huger than Huge" – Dan

Prizes

The prize for each leg is awarded to the first place team for that leg. All trips are sponsored by Travelocity.

• Leg 1 – A trip for two to Vancouver, British Columbia
• Leg 2 – A pair of sailboats
• Leg 3 – A trip for two to Patagonia
• Leg 4 – Two US$5,000 pre-loaded Discover Cards
• Leg 5 – Two 55" HD TVs
• Leg 6 – A trip for two to Cancun, Mexico
• Leg 7 – A dinner on the beach on Praslin, Seychelles, massages, all the 7-Up the team could drink (at the Pit Stop), and $7,000 for each team member
• Leg 8 – A trip for two to Maui, Hawaii
• Leg 9 – A pair of motorcycles
• Leg 10 – A trip for two to Alaska
• Leg 11 – A trip for two to the Spanish coast
• Leg 12 – US$1,000,000

Elimination Station

The first five eliminated teams were sequestered at a villa in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to await the finale. CBS posted short videos on its website after each episode to show the eliminated teams interacting at the villa.

• After Leg 1, Dana & Adrian were the first team eliminated. They expressed their disappointment after Adrian's second attempt failed during the Roadblock task. Adrian is terribly afraid of heights, and he wanted to kiss Dana to reaffirm their relationship. They discussed their marriage, had a tour on a beach, and saw whales in the ocean.
• After Leg 2, Jody & Shannon were the second team eliminated. Jody voiced her regrets that she did the Roadblock instead of Shannon. Adrian was surprised to hear that Jody had not hoped or expected to win the race, but Shannon still insisted that they could have won. The teams were awarded an elemental spa with treatments based on fire, earth, water, and air.
• After Leg 3, Monique & Shawne were the third team eliminated. All previously eliminated teams were shocked to see Monique & Shawne who were saddened at missing their daughters' birthdays. The next day, the teams went to Las Juantas Y Los Veranos to make tequila, which included Adrian cutting open a blue agave in 6 minutes and 9 seconds.
• Leg 4 was a non-elimination leg. The 3 eliminated teams bonded at the villa while Shannon was writing in her journal. Monique and Shawne suggested bringing Shannon to the beach, after which all the teams went. Shawne was given a leg and foot massage, while Shannon got her hair beaded, and Monique shared with Shannon how to win the Mexican guys with eye action.
• After Leg 5, Joe & Heidi were the fourth team eliminated. They arrived while Adrian and Shannon were playing a game of table tennis. Jody & Shannon expressed their surprise and disappointment at seeing Joe & Heidi arrive, while Adrian was glad to have another man at the villa. Joe & Heidi expressed their frustration and explained how they arrived at the conclusion that Louie & Michael had Blind U-Turned them. Later, the teams went to town to shop. Joe tried to bargain with a store owner over the price of some jewelry for Heidi, which offended the owner.
• After Leg 6, Jordan & Jeff were the fifth team eliminated. All the teams at the villa had a meal. As Jordan & Jeff arrived at the villa, they explained the circumstances that led to their elimination. They believed that Louie & Michael would be in the top 3. Joe again shared his disdain for Louie & Michael in a confessional. Jeff expressed his bitterness at having been evicted from Big Brother and now eliminated from The Amazing Race as he compares Elimination Station and Big Brother and Jury House. However, Jordan was satisfied from being in Elimination Station. The teams later went on a snorkeling trip. While on the trip, Monique & Shawne suffered from seasickness, and Heidi helped Adrian become comfortable in the water. The snorkeling trip also helped ease Jeff's bitterness at being eliminated.
• Leg 7 was a non-elimination leg. At the pool, Adrian, Jeff, and Joe discussed how Louie & Michael U-Turned Joe & Heidi, because the detectives disliked them for personal reasons. The eliminated teams watched an exciting Mexican dance, and many of the racers joined in the dance. Jody performed a solo by playing the drum, which impressed Shannon. Later in the day, Joe shared with Heidi the main reason why Louie and Michael U-Turned them. Heidi added that if Joe were to meet Louie and Michael, he would confront them about it and how it affected the outcome of the race.
• After Leg 8, Steve & Allie were the sixth team eliminated. At 2:00 AM the eliminated teams gathered to speculate on the next eliminated team. Steve and Allie called the villa, and Monique picked up the phone. Everyone was surprised and disappointed to hear that Steve & Allie were eliminated, especially Shannon. Joe then asked Steve about Louie & Michael's current situation in the race. Steve told Joe that his team was too strong and was a threat, which resulted in the U-Turn. Steve shared that bad decisions and a bad cab resulted in their elimination. Steve also said that either Jet & Cord or Louie & Michael will win the race.
• After Leg 9, Carol & Brandy were the seventh team eliminated. When Carol & Brandy called the villa early in the morning, the other eliminated teams were shocked and disappointed to hear of their elimination, especially Shannon who wanted an all-girl team win. Carol & Brandy talked about the U-Turn and their dislike for Brent & Caite that led to their elimination. In response, Jordan said that Carol & Brandy were probably jealous of Caite's beauty. Adrian, however, agreed with Carol & Brandy that the U-Turn was a foolish move by the dating models and that it should have been used on either Jet & Cord or Louie & Michael. That evening, the eliminated racers got to watch a Mexican wrestling match in an outdoor coliseum. Jordan got to escort a wrestler to the ring, and Adrian, the most enthusiastic fan of the group, bought a wrestling mask as a souvenir.
• Leg 10 was a non-elimination leg. Jordan & Jeff talked with Dana and Adrian about how to strengthen their relationship. Then, all the teams at Elimination Station packed their bags and guessed where the final Leg would take place. Then left the villa and flew to End City.
• After Leg 11, Louie & Michael were the eighth and final team eliminated. Elimination Station showed the five eliminated teams arriving at the End City in San Francisco, California. After arriving in San Francisco, the teams checked into a hotel, settled into their rooms, and awaited the phone call from the eighth team eliminated. Monique & Shawne were happy to see the end of the race. Dana said that Joe & Heidi hoped that Louie & Michael were not in the Final Three because of their dislike for them after being U-Turned. Louie & Michael called to the hotel, and the eliminated teams were shocked and disappointed to hear that Louie & Michael were eliminated. Joe asked Louie & Michael if they still felt that they had used the U-Turn correctly. Michael said yes because he thought Joe & Heidi would be tough to beat once the Race route reached Asia. Despite Louie and Michael being eliminated, Joe was still not satisfied. Jeff told Joe that Louie & Michael U-Turned Joe & Heidi because of personal reasons, which led to harsh words between Joe and Jeff.
• Leg 12 was the final leg of The Amazing Race 16. Elimination Station showed the Finish Line in Candlestick Park. All the eliminated teams were happy to find out which team they thought would win $1,000,000. Steve & Allie, Carol & Brandy, and Louie & Michael reunited with the other eliminated teams at the Finish Line. Shannon noticed that the Final Three teams were Dan & Jordan, Brent & Caite, and Jet & Cord. Dana said that it's anybody's race. All the eliminated teams were waiting to find out who would cross the Finish Line first and win the $1,000,000. Dan & Jordan were the first team to cross the Finish Line and win the $1 million; Jet & Cord came in 2nd, and Brent & Caite came in 3rd. Teams expressed their opinions about the final three teams at the Finish Line along with their joys and disappointments about the race and the learning experiences they could draw from the experience.

Race summary

The Route of the Race.

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

Leg 1 (United States → Chile)

In order to travel throughout the mountainous town of Valparaíso, teams rode the various funicular railways between tasks, including Ascensor Artillería.

Airdate: February 14, 2010

• Los Angeles, California, United States (Vista Hermosa Natural Park) (Starting Line)
• Los Angeles (Union Station to Los Angeles International Airport) or Los Angeles (7th Street/Metro Center Station to Aviation/LAX Station)
• Los Angeles (Los Angeles International Airport) to Santiago, Chile (Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport)
• Santiago (Terminal San Borja (in Spanish)) to Valparaíso (Bus Terminal)
• Viña del Mar (Wulff Castle) (Unaired)
• Valparaíso (Ascensor Villaseca (in Spanish))
• Valparaíso (Ascensor Artillería)
• Valparaíso (Paseo Templeman)
• Valparaíso (Palacio Baburizza)

The first Roadblock of the Race required one team member to cross a tightrope the length of a football field (360 ft or 110 m) suspended 120 feet (37 m) above the ground to the end of the valley where they received their next clue.

Additional tasks

• After the Roadblock, teams had to take a funicular down the mountain to find their next clue.
• At Paseo Templeman, teams picked up painting supplies (4 paint cans, paint brushes, and a ladder) and had to find a group of house painters next to a house matching the color of their paint. Once at the house, they had to finish painting a portion of the house to receive their next clue.

Additional note

• Teams were required to use public transportation to go to Los Angeles International Airport. The first three teams would receive tickets one hour ahead of the second flight. However, due to mechanical failure on that flight, they were re-booked with the remaining teams on the second flight.

Leg 2 (Chile)

In this leg, teams traveled throughout the Los Lagos Region of Chile, known for its lakes and the Osorno volcano.

Airdate: February 21, 2010

• Valparaíso (Bus Terminal) to Santiago (Terminal San Borja)
• Santiago (Terminal San Borja) to Puerto Varas (Bus Terminal)
• Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park (Hotel Petrohué) to Todos los Santos Lake (Isla Margarita – Mirador)
• Puerto Varas (Onces y Cabañas Bellavista (in Spanish))
• Puerto Varas (Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús – Gruta de la Virgen)

In the first Detour of the Race, teams chose between Llama Adoration and Condor Consternation. In Llama Adoration, teams traveled by boat to a farm where they dressed a llama by placing a blanket on its back and a scarf around its neck to receive their next clue. In Condor Consternation, teams traveled by boat to a beach where they wore special shoes resembling birds' feet and used a hang glider-like condor costume to fly to a clue in the water.

In this Roadblock, teams had to collect ingredients to make Kuchen, which included a plate of butter, a bowl of sugar, a bag of flour, a baker's dozen of eggs from a hen house, and a cup of milk from a cow, and deliver them to the baker to receive a serving of Kuchen and their next clue.

Additional task

• At the start of the leg, teams had to travel by bus back to Santiago before boarding another bus to Puerto Varas. Once there, teams had to drive themselves to the Hotel Petrohué and take a boat to Isla Margarita on Todos los Santos Lake to find their next clue on an overlook.

Leg 3 (Chile → Argentina)

Tasks featured on this leg related to gauchos and other aspects of Argentine equestrianism.

Airdate: February 28, 2010

• Puerto Varas (Del Salvador Bus Terminal or Cruz del Sur Bus Terminal) to San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
• Nahuel Huapi (El Boliche Viejo)
• Nahuel Huapi (Peña Gaucha)
• Ñirihuau (Puente Ñirihuau)
• Neuquén Province (Estancia Fortin Chacabuco)

In this Roadblock, one team member chose a station and used a lasso to rope a target 18 feet (5.5 m) away and pull it toward them to receive their next clue.

The Detour was a choice between Horse Sense and Horse Power. In Horse Sense, teams were given a set of directions by a gunslinger and, using only a stationary compass, find a bag of loot buried in a field. They then delivered the bag to the lead bandit, and if the markings on their bag matched the coordinates given to them, he would give the team a coin with the name of the Pit Stop location on it as their next clue. In Horse Power, teams went to a polo field and, using a wooden practice horse, scored a goal within 9 strokes and received the trophy with the name of the Pit Stop location on its base as their next clue.

Additional task

• At El Boliche Viejo, teams had to win a game of five-card stud against the Travelocity Roaming Gnome to receive the gnome with their next clue on the bottom of its base. Teams had to keep the gnome with them for the duration of the leg.

Leg 4 (Argentina → Germany)

Teams finished this leg of the Race near Beatles-Platz, paying tribute to Hamburg's important role in The Beatles' early history.

Airdate: March 7, 2010

• San Carlos de Bariloche (San Carlos de Bariloche Airport) to Frankfurt, Germany (Frankfurt Airport)
• Frankfurt (Frankfurt Airport Long-Distance Station) to Hamburg (Hamburg Hauptbahnhof)
• Hamburg (Jungfernstieg)
• Hamburg (Jungfernstieg Station to Landungsbrücken Station)
• Hamburg (Port of Hamburg)
• Hamburg (Altonaer Rathaus (in German) – Kaiser Wilhelm I Statue)
• Hamburg (Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn Stadium (in German) or Alt Hamburger Bürgerhaus (in German))
• Hamburg (Haifischbar (in German))
• Hamburg (Beatles-Platz)
• Hamburg (Reeperbahn – Indra Musikclub (in German))

In this special Roadblock, one team member from each of the Intersected teams took the S-Bahn to the Port of Hamburg to complete a 150-foot (46 m) tandem bungee jump to receive their next clue that they couldn't open until reuniting with their partners. After the Roadblock, teams were no longer Intersected.

The Detour for this leg was a choice between Soccer or Sauerkraut. In Soccer, teams made their way to Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn Stadium and had to kick soccer balls from the penalty mark (12 yd or 11 m) through 5 targets located in the goal to receive their next clue. In Sauerkraut, teams traveled to Alt Hamburger Bürgerhaus restaurant and had to eat a plate of sauerkraut while a band played a song called the "Sauerkraut Polka". Teams had to finish the plate before the end of the song to receive their clue. If the song ended before teams finished, they had to start over with a new plate of sauerkraut.

Additional tasks

• At Jungfernstieg, teams encountered an Intersection, where two teams had to join together to complete tasks and make decisions together until further notice.
• At the Haifischbar, each team had to drink a boot of beer to receive their next clue.
• Once at Beatles-Platz, teams had to search through Hamburg's red-light district to find the Pit Stop.

Leg 5 (Germany → France)

During the Detour, teams were "attacked" by a pilot in the Red Baron's Fokker Dr.I in an historical reenactment of trench warfare during World War I.

Airdate: March 14, 2010

• Hamburg to Les Monthairons, France (Château des Monthairons (in French))
• Sainte-Menehould (Boulangerie Defontaine)
• Massiges (La Main de Massiges (in French))
• Massiges (Church of Massiges) to Wargemoulin-Hurlus (Eglise Saint-Étienne de Wargemoulin (in French))

For their Speed Bump, Jordan & Jeff had to reinforce a trench wall with branches before they could continue racing.

The Detour was a choice between In the Trenches or Under Fire. For both tasks, teams dressed up as World War I-era American soldiers known as doughboys. In the Trenches, teams traveled through trenches to a telegraph where they deciphered a message in Morse code –"We will prevail. Vive la France."– and presented their deciphered message to the French sergeant. In Under Fire, teams crawled under barbed wire 100 feet to receive a message –"The war is over. Vive La Liberté."– from a man in a foxhole. They then crawled back through the barbed wire to present the message to the sergeant. Before either task was completed and the teams received their clue, the message they received was sent to "headquarters" via carrier pigeon.

Additional tasks

• At Boulangerie Defontaine, teams had to buy a fresh baguette that contained their next clue.
• After the Detour, teams headed south on a road to find the U-Turn and their next clue.
• At Church of Massiges, teams changed out of their doughboy gear into turn-of-the-20th-century French bicycling gear, including a fake mustache, and rode on antique bicycles, much like the first Tour de France, along a 4-mile (6.4 km) course to the Pit Stop.

Additional note

• During the Pit Stop, all teams boarded a bus and traveled from Hamburg to an unknown destination, revealed to viewers to be Les Monthairons.

Leg 6 (France)

This leg's tasks paid tributes to France's champagne industry in Champagne-Ardenne, home of prestigious champagne houses.

Airdate: March 21, 2010

• Reims (Notre-Dame de Reims – Joan of Arc Statue)
• Épernay (Leclerc Briant)
• Pierry (Château de la Marquetterie (in French))
• Épernay (l'ORCCA (in French) – La Maison Gallice (in French))

In this Roadblock, one team member rappelled 100 feet (30 m) into the chalk cellars of the winery of Leclerc Briant to search for a bottle of champagne marked with a small yellow and red striped flag on the bottom amongst the riddling racks. After finding the bottle, the team member returned to the surface to use the traditional sabrage technique to open the bottle, the force of which propelled their next clue out.

The Detour was a choice between Tower or Terra. In Tower, teams stacked 680 champagne coupes into a 15-level pyramid with only one coupe on the top level, then pour the entire contents of a magnum of Taittinger champagne onto the top of the pyramid without breaking any of the glasses to receive the next clue. In Terra, teams searched the 1-square-kilometre (250-acre) winter-barren Taittinger vineyards for a cluster of wine grapes marked with the Race flag. After finding the grapes, they returned them to the harvest foreman for their next clue.

Additional task

• At the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Reims, teams looked for a woman playing a musical saw to receive their next clue: a cork from a bottle of Leclerc Briant.

Leg 7 (France → Seychelles)

While in the Seychelles, teams had to use a banana to lure a 100-year-old and 500-pound (230 kg) Aldabra giant tortoise for one of the Detour options.

Airdate: March 28, 2010

• Paris (Charles de Gaulle Airport) to Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles (Seychelles International Airport)
• Pointe La Rue (Seychelles International Airport) to L'Union, La Digue (La Digue Helipad)
• L'Union (L'Union Estate) to La Passe (La Digue Marina)
• La Passe (La Digue Marina) to St. Pierre Island
• Anse Volbert, Praslin (Paradise Sun Hotel)

This leg's Detour was Turtle Toddle or Ox Trot. In Turtle Toddle, teams used a banana to lure a 500-pound (230 kg), 100-year-old Aldabra giant tortoise across a marked path on a lawn. Once the turtle crossed the finish line, both team members had to deliver a bunch of bananas to a fruit merchant 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away at La Digue Marina to receive their next clue. In Ox Trot, teams pulled a cart to a clearing to load a pile of coconuts. After an ox was hitched to their cart, teams had to deliver the coconuts to the same fruit merchant at La Digue Marina to receive their clue. If teams forgot or lost any of their coconuts, they had to retrieve them to complete the task.

In the leg's Roadblock, one team member had to dive into the ocean to retrieve one of seven bottles tied to a platform in the water.

Additional task

• Upon arrival in Mahé, teams had to find a marked kiosk in the airport and take a number. The first 3 teams would then board one of three helicopters, leaving at the same time, to La Digue. The last three would depart one hour later.
• After finishing the Detour, teams had to swim a marked boat and travel to a buoy near St. Pierre Island, where the captain would give them their next clue.
• After finishing the Roadblock, teams were taken off the shore of Praslin and had to swim to land. Once ashore, teams had to empty the contents of their bottle revealing a puzzle map that, when assembled, would lead them to the Pit Stop at the Paradise Sun Hotel.

Additional note

• Due to limited availability of flights, teams were provided ticked on the same flight to the Seychelles.

Leg 8 (Seychelles → Malaysia)

Teams ended this leg of the Race at the Pinang Peranakan Mansion in Penang's capital city of George Town.

Airdate: April 4, 2010

• Baie Ste Anne (Baie Ste Anne Jetty) to Victoria, Mahé (Port of Victoria)
• Victoria (Seychelles International Airport) to George Town, Penang, Malaysia (Penang International Airport)
• Bayan Lepas (Snake Temple)
• Air Itam (Tien Kong Than Temple) or George Town (Esplanade)
• Teluk Bahang (Kuil Sri Singamuga Kaliamman)
  • Teluk Bahang (Tropical Spice Garden)
• George Town (Pinang Peranakan Mansion)

In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Buddhist Tradition or Chinese Custom. In Buddhist Tradition, teams traveled to the Tien Kong Than Temple and carried a series of joss sticks to the top of the temple. After arranging them in the proper order, teams lit them and received their next clue. In Chinese Custom, teams traveled to the Esplanade in George Town, where they participated in the Chinese New Year tradition of balancing large flags on their foreheads and running across the esplanade. After both team members made it across the esplanade without letting the flag fall, they received their next clue.

For their Speed Bump, Jet & Cord traveled to the Tropical Spice Garden to find a woman crushing spices for tea. Then by smell, they chose the right prepared tea and serve it to a guru sitting on a swing. Once the guru finished drinking the tea, they could continue racing.

The Roadblock required one team member to prepare a traditional Hindu offering called a float by breaking open several coconuts to find one that had colored flesh. They then built the float and gave it to the waiting Gurukkal who sent it out to sea and then gave teams their next clue.

Additional note

• After leaving the Pit Stop, teams had to take a boat to the island of Mahé at 2:00 am.

Leg 9 (Malaysia → Singapore)

The only Fast Forward of this season of The Amazing Race took place at the Singapore Flyer, the tallest Ferris wheel in the world at that time.

Airdate: April 11, 2010

• Sungai Nibong (Sungai Nibong Express Terminal) to Kuala Lumpur (Puduraya)
• Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur Sentral Railway Station) to Singapore (Tanjong Pagar Railway Station)
• Singapore (Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall)
  • Singapore (Singapore Flyer)
• Singapore (Speakers' Corner or Rochor Road)
• Singapore (Istana Park)
• Singapore (ASL Marine Shipyard)
• Singapore (Sentosa – MegaZip Adventure Park)
• Singapore (Marina Barrage)

In the only Fast Forward of the Race, one team traveled to the Singapore Flyer, where they climbed out of an observation pod at the top of the 541-foot (165 m) Ferris wheel and crossed a ladder to the next pod to win the Fast Forward award.

The leg's Detour was a choice between Pounding The Drums and Pounding The Pavement. In Pounding The Drums, teams traveled to Speakers' Corner and learned a complex drum routine for a lion dance performance. Once teams could correctly perform the routine with a lion dance troupe on a nearby stage, they would receive their next clue. In Pounding The Pavement, teams traveled to an open area on Rochor Road, where they had to gather supplies, chairs, an umbrella, a loaf of bread, wafers, and 10 boxes of ice cream, and then find a marked ice cream cart to sell 25 Singapore-style ice cream sandwiches for S$1 a piece to receive their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member inspected an anchor chain by counting the number of links, while dealing with the noise created by the other workers at the port and announcements read through a loudspeaker. When they gave the right number (521) on a clipboard to the dock manager, they received their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, teams had to find Allan Wu, the host of The Amazing Race Asia , who would give them their next clue.
• After the Detour, teams were instructed to find the U-Turn and their next clue at the intersection of their "last Pit Stop city" (Penang) and Orchard Road sending them to Istana Park, on the intersection of Penang Road and Orchard Road.
• On Sentosa, teams rode the MegaZip, a 1,476-foot (450 m) long zip line. After unharnessing from the MegaZip, teams received their next clue.

Leg 10 (Singapore → China)

Upon arrival in Shanghai, teams visited the water town of Zhujiajiao in the Qingpu District.

Airdate: April 25, 2010

• Singapore (Singapore Changi Airport) to Shanghai, China (Shanghai Pudong International Airport)
• Shanghai (Zhujiajiao)
• Shanghai (Tianzifang – Deke Erh Art Center)
• Shanghai (Hongkou Football Stadium)
• Shanghai (Hongkou Football Stadium Station to Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Station)
• Shanghai (Shanghai Science and Technology Museum)

In the first Roadblock on this leg, one team member had to follow a demonstration by a local noodle maker to make 1 kg (2.2 lb) of la mian noodles. When completed, He Pingping, the world's shortest man, would give them their next clue. (He Pingping died about three months after the episode was filmed and one month before it aired on American television. The episode concluded with a brief shot of his photo and the message "In Memory of He Pingping".)

The second Roadblock required the team member who sat out the first Roadblock to put together a 96-piece puzzle and give the puzzle to a group of fans in the bleachers. If the puzzle was assembled correctly, the other side of the puzzle would reveal a seat with their next clue.

Additional tasks

• In Zhujiajiao, teams traveled on foot to a boat dock, where they would ride a boat to their next clue.
• In Shanghai's fashion district Tianzifang, teams entered a fashion studio where they had to choose a sketch of an outfit. They then had to choose the correct pieces of clothing that were shown in the sketch and give them to a fashion model to wear. If they chose the right clothing and accessories, the fashion designer would give them their next clue.

Leg 11 (China)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to count the statues in the Longhua Temple's Arhat Hall.

Airdate: May 2, 2010

• Shanghai (Garden Bridge)
• Shanghai (Longhua Temple)
• Shanghai (Yuyuan Garden)
• Shanghai (Art Stone Store or Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant)
• Shanghai (Riverside Promenade (in Chinese))

For their Speed Bump, Louie & Michael participated in a good-luck ritual by throwing coins into a large incense burner on the Longhua Temple grounds. They each have to get one coin into the top opening of the incense burner before they could continue racing.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member entered Longhua Temple's Arhat Hall to count all of the golden statues in the room, most of which were statues of the Gautama Buddha. If they got the right number (523), they received their next clue. If their guess was incorrect, they would have to wait 10 minutes before making their next guess.

The Detour was a choice between Pork Chops and Pork Dumplings. In Pork Chops, teams entered an art stone store and looked through several hundred special stone stamps called chops for the two that had a pig on the bottom and one with each of their names to receive their clue from the shop owner. In Pork Dumplings, teams traveled to Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant and delivered 10 orders of xiaolongbao across the market. Once they completed the deliveries, they received their clue.

Additional tasks

• At the start of the leg, teams were told to go to the Garden Bridge, that was referred to the Waibaidu Bridge.
• After the Roadblock, teams took a motorcycle to their next destination Yuyuan Garden.

Additional note

• Teams were prohibited to travel by taxi from Garden Bridge to the Longhua Temple.

Leg 12 (China → United States)

For the final Roadblock on The Amazing Race 16, teams visited the famous Coit Tower in San Francisco's Telegraph Hill, which one team member had to climb up from the outside.

Airdate: May 9, 2010

• Shanghai (Shanghai Pudong International Airport) to San Francisco, California, United States (San Francisco International Airport)
• San Francisco (Fort Point – Battery Godfrey)
• San Francisco (Coit Tower)
• San Francisco (Letterman Digital Arts Center – Yoda Statue)
• San Francisco (Fairmont Hotel – Tonga Room)
• San Francisco (Great American Music Hall)
• San Francisco (Candlestick Park)

The final Roadblock of the Race required one team member to use an ascender to reach the top archways of Coit Tower to get their next clue before being lowered back to the ground.

Additional tasks

• After receiving the clue at Battery Godfrey, teams had to solve a riddle, "I was built in 1933. I'm 210 feet tall. My insides are lined with mural from 26 different artists. What am I?", to lead them to their next clue at Coit Tower.
• At the Letterman Digital Arts Center, one team member put on a motion capture suit while their partner directed their avatar through a virtual course, based on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. After getting through the two levels of the course, the directing partner copied down their next clue from a computer screen which directed them to the Tonga Room.
• At Tonga Room, teams were instructed to take a trunk to their next location: the Great American Music Hall.
• At the Great American Music Hall, teams opened the trunk from the Tonga Room. Inside were psychedelic posters of the eliminated teams in the correct order of elimination (with three posters for the non-elimination legs) according to the legs visited in the chronological order:

Leg	Pit Stop	Team Eliminated
1	Valparaíso	Dana & Adrian
2	Puerto Varas	Jody & Shannon
3	San Carlos de Bariloche	Monique & Shawne
4	Hamburg	Non-elimination
5	Wargemoulin-Hurlus	Joe & Heidi
6	Épernay	Jordan & Jeff
7	Praslin	Non-elimination
8	Penang	Steve & Allie
9	Singapore	Carol & Brandy
10	Shanghai	Non-elimination
11		Louie & Michael
12	Finale

Once teams put the posters in the correct order, they received their final clue from a roadie.

• The final clue at the Great American Music Hall was a portion of the "Jack Be Nimble" nursery rhyme; teams were left to figure out that the missing word "candlestick" referred to the location of the Finish Line: Candlestick Park.

Ratings

No episode aired on April 18, 2010 due to CBS's broadcast of the Academy of Country Music Awards and CTV's broadcast of the Juno Awards.

U.S. Nielsen ratings

#	Airdate	Episode	Rating	Share	Rating/Share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	Rank (Timeslot)	Rank (Night)
1	February 14, 2010	"Nanna Is Kickin' Your Butt"	5.1	8	2.8/7	9.07	1	1
2	February 21, 2010	"When the Cow Kicked Me in the Head"	5.2	8	2.9/7	9.11	1	1
3	February 28, 2010	"Run Like Scalded Dogs!"	5.8	9	3.2/8	10.24	2	4
4	March 7, 2010	"We Are No Longer in the Bible Belt"	4.5	7	2.6/7	8.05	2	4
5	March 14, 2010	"I Think We're Fighting the Germans, Right?"	5.8	10	3.0/9	10.10	1	3
6	March 21, 2010	"Cathy Drone?"	6.9	11	3.8/9	11.99	1	4
7	March 28, 2010	"Anonymous?"	7.2	11	3.9/10	12.73	1	3
8	April 4, 2010	"You're Like Jason Bourne, Right?"	5.2	9	2.7/8	9.14	1	3
9	April 11, 2010	"Dumb Did Us In"	6.9	11	3.4/10	11.88	1	3
10	April 25, 2010	"I Feel Like I'm in, Like, Sicily"	6.3	10	3.2/9	10.69	1	3
11	May 2, 2010	"They Don't Even Understand Their Own Language"	6.0	10	3.0/9	10.29	1	3
12	May 9, 2010	"Huger Than Huge"	6.0	11	2.9/9	10.63	1	3

• Episode 1, "Nanna Is Kickin' Your Butt" aired on Valentine's Day.
• Episode 4, "We Are No Longer In The Bible Belt" had a considerably low number of viewers, most likely because it aired on the same night as the 82nd Academy Awards.
• Episode 7, "Anonymous?" had the most viewers and adults 25–54 rating since the November 4, 2007, episode of The Amazing Race 12, as well as the best numbers in adults 18–49 since the January 6, 2008, episode of the same season.
• Episode 8, "You're like Jason Bourne, right?" aired on Easter Sunday.
• Episode 12, "Huger Than Huge", the season finale, aired on Mother's Day. The show was down nearly two million viewers compared to the season 15 finale and was the lowest rated finale since season 4.

Canadian ratings

Canadian broadcaster CTV also aired The Amazing Race on Sundays at 8pm. The first three episodes were aired on A-Channel. When the show returned to the said network, episode four aired an hour earlier than its normal start time due to the network's broadcast of the 82nd Academy Awards.

#	Airdate	Episode	Viewers (millions)	Rank (week)
1	February 14, 2010	"Nanna Is Kickin' Your Butt"	—	<#30
2	February 21, 2010	"When the Cow Kicked Me in the Head"	0.90	#16
3	February 28, 2010	"Run Like Scalded Dogs!"	0.88	#13
4	March 7, 2010	"We Are No Longer in the Bible Belt"	1.44	#21
5	March 14, 2010	"I Think We're Fighting the Germans, Right?"	2.53	#4
6	March 21, 2010	"Cathy Drone?"	2.00	#7
7	March 28, 2010	"Anonymous?"	2.47	#4
8	April 4, 2010	"You're Like Jason Bourne, Right?"	2.08	#6
9	April 11, 2010	"Dumb Did Us In"	2.29	#7
10	April 25, 2010	"I Feel Like I'm in, Like, Sicily"	2.18	#5
11	May 2, 2010	"They Don't Even Understand Their Own Language"	2.51	#3
12	May 9, 2010	"Huger Than Huge"	2.58	#3

External links

• Official website