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The Amazing Race 1

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Template:Infobox Television Amazing Race

The Amazing Race (now referred to as The Amazing Race 1) is the first installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. It premiered on September 5, 2001 and ended on December 13, 2001 on American television.

Lawyers and best friends Rob Frisbee and Brennan Swain were the winners of the Race.

The complete season was released on DVD on September 27, 2005, which was also the premiere date for Family Edition. Kevin & Drew, Lenny & Karyn, Rob & Brennan, and Joe & Bill made commentary for the DVD.

Production

Development and filming

Bethesda Fountain in New York City's Central Park was the very first starting point of the race.

The first season of The Amazing Race traveled 35,000 miles in 39 days, spanning 4 continents and 9 different countries. The season was hit with multiple filming delays, including an airport strike in Rome and a sandstorm in Tunisia, the latter of which forced teams to begin leg 6 in Gabès, rather than the original Saharan desert Pit Stop.

Other aspects of filming were unique to the first season of the series. Host Phil Keoghan handed out clues at the beginning of some legs and, rather than checking in contestants at the Pit Stop, teams were greeted by local people. Also, Pit Stop mats featured localized designs which were dropped by the second season.

During Leg 5, Paul and Amie were lost in the Sahara desert after trying numerous routes, getting half of their car stuck in a ditch, and Amie vomiting excessively. They found the desert oasis pit stop by luck, unknowingly skipping the roadblock and final route marker.

The season is planned so that the final three teams will all reach the finish line. However, Joe and Bill were so far behind that they could not catch up and did not finish the race. When they were still completing Leg 12 (which aired alongside Leg 13 in final episode), Team Guido was required to have villagers bounce one teammate upwards by the use of an Alaskan tapestry. According to the DVD commentary, the tapestry broke under the weight the day before, so a trampoline had to be used instead.

Cast

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

Eleven teams participated in the first season of The Amazing Race, ranging from best friends to couples, and a mother and daughter duo. Kevin and Drew made an appearance in Season 8, handing out clues from a hot dog stand in New York City. They also returned, along with Joe and Bill, to participate in the All-Stars edition. Kevin & Drew were the 2nd team eliminated in the 2nd leg and Joe & Bill were the 6th team eliminated in the 8th leg.

Joe & Bill received a mocking letter from Frank as part of a Roadblock in All-Stars, where Frank did some freestyle poetry and then said he hoped his letter annoyed Joe & Bill as much as they annoyed him. Footage of Frank was shown in the episode. Joe & Bill later interviewed that there was also a much friendlier letter from Nancy & Emily in the pile and they were sorry they hadn't gotten to read that one on the air. Frank and Nancy & Emily also presumably wrote letters to Kevin & Drew, who were eliminated before they could reach the letter-reading task.

Margaretta Groark passed away on October 26, 2008 after a long battle with cancer.[1]

Emily was married on August 22, 2009 to Matthew Alan Crew and goes by the name Emily Crew now.[2]

Ratings

Season 1 was not particularly a ratings success, though it was co-directed by Michael Bay, since it premiered a week before the September 11 attacks. Immediately following 9/11, interest in foreign travel waned and viewership fell correspondingly. The show was further hindered by the lack of media coverage and promotion as networks focused on news stories and more patriotic programming. Additionally, the show premiered and competed in the same time slot as with NBC's short-lived Lost, another reality show.[3] The show did just well enough to earn a second season, which aired the following spring.

Results

The following teams participated in the Race, with their relationships at the time of filming. Note that this table is not necessarily reflective of all content broadcast on television due to inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order:

Team Relationship Position (by leg) Roadblocks Performed1
1 2 3 4ƒ 5ƒ 6ƒ 7 8ƒ 9 10ƒ 11 12 13
Rob & Brennan Lawyers/Best Friends 1stƒ 3rd 3rd 6th 4th 3rd 3rd 3rd 1st 1st 2nd 1st 1st Rob 5, Brennan 7
Frank & Margarita Separated Parents 3rd 4th 2nd 4th 5th 1st5 1stƒ 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd Frank 8, Margarita 3
Joe & Bill Life Partners 2nd 2nd 4th 1st 2nd 2nd5 2nd 4th 4thƒ 4th 3rd 3rd 3rd8 Joe 6, Bill 4
Kevin & Drew Fraternity Brothers 9th 5th 1stƒ 2nd 1st 4th 4th 1st 3rd 3rd 4th Kevin 5, Drew 4
Nancy & Emily Mother/Daughter 10th 7th 8th 3rd 3rd 5th 5th 5th 5th7 Nancy 2, Emily 6
Lenny & Karyn Dating 4th 9th 7th 7th 6th 6th6 6th Lenny 2, Karyn 4
Paul & Amie Engaged 8th 6th 6th 4th4 7th Paul 2, Amie 1
Dave & Margaretta† Grandparents 7th2 8th3 5th 8th Dave 2, Margaretta 0
Pat & Brenda Working Moms 5th 1stƒ 9th Pat 1, Brenda 0
Kim & Leslie Teachers/Roommates 6th 10th Kim 1, Leslie 0
Matt & Ana Married 11th Matt 0, Ana 0
  • A red team placement indicates that the team was eliminated.
  • An underlined blue team placement indicates that the team was the last to arrive at a pit stop in a non-elimination leg of the race.
  • A green ƒ indicates that the team won a Fast Forward clue. If placed next to a leg number, this indicates that the Fast Forward was available for that leg but not used.
  1. ^ Leg 1 featured an unaired Roadblock that was only partially shown in the DVD release. This is not included in the final Roadblock tallies.
  2. ^ Dave & Margaretta initially arrived at the Pit Stop 7th, but at the beginning of Leg 2, they departed 8th after Paul and Amie because they were penalized for not completing the Roadblock correctly in the previous episode.
  3. ^ Dave & Margaretta initially arrived 6th, but were issued a one-hour penalty for improperly completing the Roadblock, 2 teams (Paul & Amie and Nancy & Emily) checked in while waiting for the penalty time elapsed, dropped them to 8th. This Roadblock is not shown in the Roadblocks column, because neither Dave or Margaretta completed it properly.
  4. ^ Paul & Amie initially arrived 5th, but were given a time credit because of a production difficulty, which pushed them up to 4th.
  5. ^a b Frank & Margarita and Joe & Bill were initially arrived 1st and 2nd, respectively, but misread the clue and were each issued a 30-minute penalty. The penalty did not affect their placements.
  6. ^ Lenny & Karyn were granted a time credit for production difficulties. This did not affect their placement.
  7. ^ Nancy & Emily initially arrived 4th, but had not completed the Detour and were issued a 24-hour penalty. Joe & Bill checked in during Nancy & Emily's penalty time, causing them to fall to last place and be eliminated.
  8. ^ Joe & Bill was unable to finish Leg 13 after all teams checked in. When they reached Alaska, they received the clue telling that the race is finished as well as the winning team Rob & Brennan.

Episode titles

The episode titles are:

  1. The Race Begins
  2. Divide And Conquer
  3. Home For Some
  4. Colossal Showdown
  5. Desert Storm
  6. Whatever It Takes To Win
  7. Triumph And Loss
  8. Competition To The Fullest
  9. The Unexpected Twist
  10. To The Physical And Mental Limit
  11. Fight To The Last Minute
  12. Race To The Finish - Part 1
  13. Race To The Finish - Part 2

Race summary

Complete route map
Destinations Air travel    Rail travel    Water travel    Bus travel
Helicopter travel    Bicycle travel    Gondola travel
Route Markers Detour    Roadblock    Fast Forward    Pit Stop

Leg 1 (United States → South Africa → Zambia)

Victoria Falls was the first ever location visited in the entire series.

In the first Fast Forward of the race, teams had to hike down a steep slope to the Boiling Pot on the Zambezi River. In the very first Detour for the entire series had teams choosing between Air and Land. In Air, teams had to take a zipline across the gorge and then experience a 54-meter gorge swing. In Land, teams had to take a long hike down the mountains. An unaired Roadblock (available as a bonus feature on the DVD set) required one team member to cook an ostrich egg, and both team members were required to eat it.

Leg 2 (Zambia → France)

Arc de Triomphe was the second pit stop of The Amazing Race 1.

In this leg's Fast Forward, one team member had to whitewater raft along the treacherous rapids of the Zambezi River with Bundu Adventures. They then had to locate the Fast Forward clue. In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Near and Far. In Near, teams went to Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park to photograph three hard to find animals from a list. In Far, teams had to go to Chobe National Park in Botswana Botswana to photograph a single elephant. In the very first aired Roadblock of the series, one team member had to take the stairway at the second level of the Eiffel Tower and use a FR₣10 coin to operate a telescope. They then had to look for the pit stop at the Arc de Triomphe, marked by the Yellow and White flag on the top.

Additional task
  • At Mukuni village, Teams take part in a traditional welcome ceremony for honored guests. The ceremony involved meeting the village chief (who would spit on them) as well as viewing and participating a tribal dance. Teams then gave the village chief the photographs they took during the Detour, and in return received a miniature of the Eiffel Tower as the only clue to their next destination.

Leg 3 (France)

A panoramic view of Les Baux de Provence. Upon arriving from Paris, teams visited the town on this leg.

In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Tough Climb and Easy Walk. In Tough Climb, teams must travel to Notre Dame de Paris and had to climb up the 297 steps of the cathedral and ring Quasimodo's bell. In Easy Walk, teams had to find the Panthéon and find the statue of a cat beside the Foucault pendulum. The only catch was that there were two Foucault pendulums at two different places. Another is located at the Museum of Arts and Crafts, but this one did not have a cat next to it. In this leg's Fast Forward teams had to find an obscure tea shop called Mariage Frères and ask for a specific tea. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to walk through the sewers of Paris to the Place du Châtelet, two blocks away.

Additional task
  • At the Hôtel de Ville, teams must find a man dressed in blue suit standing across from it.

Leg 4 (France → Tunisia)

Amphitheater of Thysdrus in El Djem, the site of this leg's Roadblock, where one team member was to light a torch and find the pit of death.

In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Full Body Brew and Full Body Massage. In Full Body Brew, teams had to find a coffee shop in Bab Bhar marketplace using only a picture for reference. In Full Body Massage, teams, with the help of a map, had to find a massage parlor and sit through a 20 minute massage. The unused Fast Forward told teams to go fishing for it on board the ‘Kinsa’ in the port of Sidi Bou Said.[4] In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to navigate the amphitheater and light a torch to find the pit of death. Then, they had to take a sword dangling above the pit and bring it to the pit stop.

Additional tasks
  • At the beginning of the leg, teams received a small flag from the country and instructions to travel by boat from Marseille to the country represented by the flag. They also received a picture of the man they had to find when they arrived at their destination.
  • After the detour, teams received a lighter marked with a picture of the Amphitheater of Thysdrus in El Djem and the words" Go Here".

Leg 5 (Tunisia)

Ksar Hadada was the location for a Listening Detour in this leg.

In this leg's Detour, teams had to choice between Listening and Puzzling. In Puzzling, teams had to solve a Tunisian dice game at Ksar Ouled Soltane. In Listening, teams had to find Ksar Hadada, which was used as a Star Wars movie set. They then received a walkie talkie. Using their walkie talkie, they had to find the other one that was hidden somewhere in the labyrinth of caves. The Fast Forward was to use a map that had an arrow pointing to a location to find a cave and take a picture of something inside.[5] In this leg's Roadblock, one team member to ride a camel across the Sahara Desert, while the other team member had to walk alongside. They had to use compass to guide them by following a set of compass directions to find a route marker in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

Additional task
  • At the start of the leg, teams received a picture of a Globe monument and find Tataouine.

Leg 6 (Tunisia → Italy)

The Roman Colosseum was also featured in the Amazing Race 1.

During the pit stop, word of sandstorm in Sahara forced the teams to move to Gabès to start the leg. In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Foot and Hoof. In Foot, teams had to find a large statue of a foot. The foot statue was well-known, and the picture teams received contained the entire statue. In Hoof, teams were given a partial picture of another statue that is not as well known. The statue was a horse, but teams only received a picture of its hoof. However, if teams completed Hoof instead of Foot, they would find taxis waiting for them. In this leg's unused Fast Forward, teams were instructed to find "the keys to the arms of St. Peter". In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to drive a small Italian car to the town square of Sant'Agata Bolognese, the leg's pit stop, using a map written entirely in Italian. The non-participating team member received a free ride in a sports car travelling at 180 miles/per hour.

Additional task
  • At the Palace Hotel in Tunis, teams received a picture of a spot marked near the Colosseum.

Leg 7 (Italy → India)

The Red Fort in Delhi, where teams received a Roadblock clue.

In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Glide and Ride. In Glide, teams took a glider ride with a professional glider, first come, first served. The participating team member rode in the gilder while the other team member rode in the towing plane and was also treated to a surprise nose-dive. In Ride, teams had to ride bikes and, using a map, had to find the clue box. In this leg's Fast Forward, one team had to find Castello Estense in the town of Ferrara and ride a boat through the moat to find a clue hidden in the wall. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to hire a rickshaw and find a shopkeeper in the Red Fort Market. He would show the team member a blue box containing a replica of the Taj Mahal. However, the clue he gave them merely told them to find the Taj Khema Hotel and mentioned nothing of the Taj Mahal.

Leg 8 (India)

The Taj Mahal in Agra was visited during leg 8.

There was an unused Fast Forward that had teams traveling to Jantar Mantar to climb 22 or 33 steps.[6] In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Elephant and Rowboat. In Elephant, teams had to find a holy man inside the Amber Fort. They could reach him by riding an elephant up a steep path. In Rowboat, teams had to find a holy man at the Jal Mahal palace by using a row boat to get to him. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member to find a canister of clues somewhere in the labyrinth of Karni Mata Temple, a temple devoted to the worship of rats, which are sacred by locals. Team members had to wear socks.

Leg 9 (India → Thailand)

Teams received their detour clue at the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok.

In this Detour, teams had to choose between Public and Private. For both Detours, teams had to find transportation to Kanchanaburi. In Public, teams had to go to a local bus station and board a bus leaving every 15 minutes, using their own money. In Private, teams had to find a free private vehicle within a specified area. The vehicles were parked somewhere in the marked area and teams only had a license plate number as their only clue. The Fast Forward was for teams to go to the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Teams were then required to play a traditional Buddhist Game that utilized the 108 urns alongside the giant reclining Buddha. They had to choose a bowl of coins and drop one coin in each urn. If the bowl they choose has more or less 108 coins, they must choose another bowl to play the game again. The first team to choose a bowl containing exactly 108 coins, they would win the Fast Forward. In this Roadblock, one team member had to dress like a Monk and was instructed to retrieve the clue from a clay pot located inside a pit of tigers.

Leg 10 (Thailand)

Teams traveled to Railay Beach, another location in this leg.

In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Hike and Climb. In Hike, teams had to travel on a long path to find their next clue. In Climb, teams had to rock climb up Thaiwand Wall to find their next clue. After either Detour option, teams then rappeled into a boat. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to paddle a kayak down a river with their team member and their luggage. Then, they find a route flag and climb into a nearby cave to get their next clue along with snorkeling gear.

Additional task
  • After the Roadblock, any team member could paddle back to Sea, Land and Trek. Then, teams had to hire a boat and find a route marker bobbing in the water 4 miles (6.4 km) from the mainland. Once they find the route marker near Chicken Island, they had to use the snorkel gear they collected at the Roadblock and dive in the water to get their next clue.

Leg 11 (Thailand → China)

The Temple of Heaven alongside Tiantan Park in Beijing was the 11th pit stop and final elimination point of the Race.

This leg's detour had teams choosing between Volley and Rally. In Volley, teams had to play a game of ping pong at a nearby community center and score five points against a ping pong champion. In Rally, teams took three common forms of local transportation used throughout China. First, teams had travel by Bus to Hu Jia Lou. Next, teams had to ride a motorcycle taxi to Liu Jia Yao. Finally, teams had to a ride a Chinese Bicycle Taxi to Quan Xin Yuan Restaurant. When they get there successfully, teams would get their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to eat the food bought at the Beijing Food Market (see additional task below).

Additional tasks

Leg 12 (China → United States)

Upon arrival at the Great Wall of China, teams receive the detour clue along Jūyōng Pass.

In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Flat and Steep. Both tasks had teams walking along the Great Wall to find a clue. Flat featured a flat path that was very long, while Steep featured an extremely short path that was also extremely steep. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to climb the ice wall and retrieve information from the glacier.

Additional tasks
  • At the Tiantan Park, teams had to use a marked map and find kite flyers who were flying kites that had their next clue.
  • After spending the night at the Bed and Breakfast in Scotty Lake, teams made their way to a Blanket Toss Area. There, one team member had bounce on an Alaskan tapestry until they spotted the next route marker. There, teams would get their next clue. The tapestry was never actually used, as it broke almost immediately. Instead, a trampoline was used.
  • At Mile Marker 131 along Parks Highway in Denali State Park, teams had to leave their vehicles behind and ride a snowmobile to the pit stop.

Leg 13 (United States)

The Unisphere at Flushing Meadows Park was the first ever finishing line of the race.

In the final Detour, teams chose between Dog Power and Horsepower. In Dog Power, teams rode dog sleds cover 11 miles (18 km)* to their next clue. In Horsepower, teams had to take a much longer route with a snowmobile to the clue 30 miles (48 km)* away. In the final Roadblock, one team member had to strip down to their underwear or a bathing suit and completely plunge down into the 4 °C (39 °F) freezing waters of Fish Lake, an Alaskan tradition. They must completely submerge the heads and swim to their next clue.

Ratings

USA ratings

Order Episode Rating/Share
(18-49) 		Viewers
(millions) 		Rank
1 "The Race Begins" 5.1[7] 11.80 —
6 "Whatever It Takes to Win" 3.6/9 8.37 —
7 "Triumph and Loss" 4.0/10[8] 9.17 —
13 "Race To The Finish - Part 2" 6.0[9] 13.65 #20

References

  1. ^ Bracchita, John (2008-11-03). "'The Amazing Race 1' contestant Margaretta Groark loses cancer battle". Reality TV World. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
  2. ^ http://www.legacy.com/Wacotrib/Celebrations.asp?Page=Announcement&PersonID=128998170
  3. ^ Poniewozik, James (2001-09-10). "Lost; The Amazing Race". Time. Retrieved 2008-01-09. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "" Post on TWoP forums with information supplied by Brennan. (Scroll down to 'Season 1 — Leg 4') "". Retrieved November 2, 2006.
  5. ^ ""Post on TWoP forums with information supplied by Brennan."". Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  6. ^ "" Post on TWoP forums with information supplied by Brennan. (Written in first post) "". Retrieved November 2, 2006.
  7. ^ Medialife 09-06-2001
  8. ^ "'Race' Takes A Baseball Hit In Ratings, But Still Appears To Be Climbing" (PDF).
  9. ^ Medialife 12-19-2001
  • The Amazing Race: The First Season. CBS. DVD. Paramount, 2005.
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