The Amazing Race 21

 is the twenty-first installment of the reality television show, The Amazing Race. It was announced by CBS on June 17, 2011. The original grand prize for this season remains at US$1 million, but if the team that comes in first in the first leg wins the race at the end, the grand prize will be doubled to US$2 million.

US Programming Note
In an effort to assist viewers in navigating primetime series time changes due to live sports coverage overruns, CBS will list the scheduled start times for The Amazing Race 30 minutes later in Eastern and Central Time zones on the following days: Oct 7 & 21; Nov 4 & 18; Dec 2, 16 & 30. The Network also unveiled an upgrade to the CBS Eye-lert system, which informs viewers of any further adjusted start times.

Results
The following teams participated in the Race. Placements are listed in finishing order:

Route

 * Click here for this season's Route Map

Leg 1 - Episode 1 (United States → China)
Title: "Double Your Money" - Phil Keoghan (Host, non-racer)
 * Starting Line: Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena, California, United States
 * Teams had to rappel off of the Colorado Street Bridge to receive their first clue, which was on top of their backpacks.
 * Flight from Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai, China
 * Yuanshen Sports Centre Stadium, Shanghai
 * One team member had to compete with a female junior champion in ping pong, often known as table tennis. He/she must attempt to get a point to get the next clue.
 * CuiPing Restaurant, Shanghai
 * The team member who sat out the previous road block had to eat a Chinese delicacy dessert, known as hasma with only the chopsticks provided to get the next clue.
 * The Bund, Shanghai
 * Teams had to find a woman and a boy with abacuses.
 * Shanghai Bund Weather Signal Station, Shanghai
 * (they will be awarded with US$2,000,000 if they make it to the final leg and win the Race. All other teams will be awarded the standard $1 million for winning the Race)
 * (they will be awarded with US$2,000,000 if they make it to the final leg and win the Race. All other teams will be awarded the standard $1 million for winning the Race)

Leg 2 - Episode 2 (China → Indonesia)
Title: "Long Hair, Don't Care" - James (of Jaymes & James)
 * Flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai to Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
 * Alun-Alun Stadium, Bangkalan, Madura Island
 * Teams picked a number, and then in order, rode on motorcycles alongside a pair of racing bulls in a traditional Kerapan Sapi.
 * Genteng Kali Bridge, Surabaya
 * Jembatan Merah, Surabaya
 * One team member had to select four children and use a pedal-powered ride (known to locals as Odong-odong), while blowing and twisting eight different balloon forms for the children.
 * Wijaya Motor, Surabaya
 * Pasar Pabean Market
 * Ice-by-the-Pound: Teams loaded 10 65-pound blocks of ice from a industrial ice factory, Tirta Maya, to a waiting truck, rode the truck to a local market and then transported the ice by cart to a unloading zone to get their next clue.
 * Fish-by-the-Barrel: Teams carried two barrels of fish to a waiting stall. They then had to set up the stall in the same manner as an example, including breaking a block of ice to keep the fish cold. Once the stall's layout was approved, teams received their next clue.
 * Pabean Market, Surabaya

Leg 3 - Episode 3 (Indonesia)
Title: "There's No Crying in Baseball" - Brittany
 * Antika Jaya Rumah Makan, Surabaya
 * One team member had to carry twenty dishes of food in their hands and serve them to waiting diners in order to receive their next clue. However, if they dropped any of the dishes, they had to start over.
 * From Gubeng Station, Surabaya to Bangil railway station, Bangil, Pasuruan
 * During their trip, teams had to find their next clue on the train.
 * Alun-Alun, Bangil
 * Lion's Head: Teams participated in a reog dance by wearing a 40-pound (18 kg) lion's head over their head and shoulders and then followed dance instructions along a procession without dropping the lion's head. Teams received the next clue after successfully completing the parade.
 * Egg Head: Teams first purchased four eggs from a local market which they placed in coconut halves on their heads for local magicians to try to cook the eggs by lighting the shell on fire. Racers then had to eat the eggs that were cooked before they could receive their next clue.
 * Perliman Polisi I, Bangil
 * Rob & Kelley Blind Double U-turned Gary & Will, while Gary & Will tried to Blind Double U-turned Rob & Kelley, who were actually ahead of them.
 * SMA Negeri 1, Bangil

Leg 4 - Episode 4 (Indonesia → Bangladesh)
Title: "Funky Monkey" - Ryan
 * Flight from Juanda International Airport, Surabaya to Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka, Bangladesh
 * Rubel Model Auto Mobiles, Dhaka
 * One team member had to repair one of the more than 15,000 buses that do battle on the congested streets of Dhaka everyday. First, teams had to use body putty to fill in the damage and then sand it ready for painting. Once approved, both team members then had to carry three pairs of seats and deliver them to the refurbishing area to receive the next clue.
 * Dhaka
 * Teams had to become rat catching assistants to a pest control agent. Both team members had to fill a bag with dead rats collecting them from three different locations to win the Fast Forward.
 * Kawran Bazaar Shootkir Market, Dhaka
 * Before the Detour, teams had to search baskets of dried fish to find one marked with the Race colors (red and yellow) to receive their Detour clue.
 * Pound the Metal: Teams worked with a local blacksmith to hammer out a spike from a piece of heated metal to the blacksmith's approval in order to receive their next clue.
 * Pound the Cotton: Teams had to use provided sticks to beat a pile of cotton to a specified consistency. They then had to fill a mattress with the cotton, flatten it, and sew it closed. Once the craftsman was satisfied with their work, he would hand them their next clue.
 * From Keranigonj Kholamora, Dhaka to Swarighat, Old Dhaka
 * Shambazar Chan Mia Ghat, Old Dhaka

Leg 5 - Episode 5 (Bangladesh)
Title: "Chill Out, Freak" - Natalie
 * Jatrabari Boro Bazaar, Dhaka
 * Ferry Ghat Road, Demra
 * One team member had to construct a balance scale out of the provided equipment. Once the construction of the scale was approved, they then had to balance the weight of four rocks from available sticks in order to receive their next clue.
 * Latif Bawani Jute Mills, Demra / Tarabo Bazaar, Demra
 * Straw Dogs: Teams first had to prepare twenty bundles of jute straw by throwing them against a nailed board to straighten and separate the fibers. They then had to deliver twenty bundles of the completed straw to the loom machines in order receive their next clue.
 * Bamboo Jungle: Teams had to collect three sets of bamboo trunks of different length and diameter from a storage area. They then used a platformed freight bicycle to transport the bamboo to a construction site. Once their delivery was confirmed by the site's foreman, they would receive the next clue.
 * Lok Shilpa Jadughar, Sonargaon

Leg 6 - Episode 6 (Bangladesh → Turkey)
Title: "Get Your Sexy On" - Nadiya
 * Flight from Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka to Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey
 * From Kabataş Ferry Terminal, Beyoğlu, Istanbul to Üsküdar Ferry Terminal, Üsküdar
 * Mısır Çarşısı - Stall No. 14, Istanbul
 * Josh & Brent each had to ask for and eat one cone of Turkish ice cream from a nearby marked stall, which included a teasing performance common with the dessert by the vendor.
 * Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan Hamamı, Istanbul
 * Simit: Teams had to deliver three orders of simits – a traditional Turkish bagel – to three different vendors, stacked carefully on a delivery board that one team member had to wear on his or her head. If any simit dropped, they would have to restart that delivery. Once they had proof of delivery from the three vendors, they would get their next clue.
 * Scrub It: Teams must partook in a traditional Turkish bath, receiving their next clue when the bath was complete.
 * Kapalıçarşı, Istanbul
 * One team member dressed in vendor garb and had to serve 40 glasses of Turkish sherbet to passersby in the bazaar, selling each for 1 from a long-spouted brass teapot called an ibrik to earn 40 (approx. US$20). Once they returned with the money to the attendant, they would receive their clue.
 * MV Savarona next to Kuruçeşme Cemil Topuzlu Parkı, Istanbul

Leg 7 - Episode 7/8 (Turkey → Russia)
Title: "Off to See the Wizard" - James (of Jaymes & James)
 * Flight from Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Istanbul to Vnukovo International Airport / Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia
 * Zurab Tsereteli Sculpture Park, Moscow
 * Moskvoretsky Most, Moscow
 * Trud sports complex, Moscow or Russian State Library, Moscow
 * Alphabetize: Teams went to the Russian State Library and were given a list of books by author, title, and year. They had to use the paper card catalog system, in Russian, to locate four of the books on the list. Once they thought they had the correct location in the stacks, a librarian would direct them to the proper room to allow the team to get the books. They then checked their retrieved books with the head librarian to get their next clue.
 * Synchronize: Teams participated in a synchronized swimming routine with six other swimmers from the 2012 Olympic gold medal-winning Russian national team. After practicing the routine, they performed it for a judge – who would either pass them and give them their next clue, or would require the teams to practice more.
 * Vodootvodny Canal – Trees of Love, Moscow
 * One team member had to select one of the marked Trees of Love – trees covered in padlocks – and unlock 10 of the locks with the provided set of keys to free a banner held to the tree. Once they freed the banner and unfolded it, teams were left to figure out that the back of the enclosed 100 ruble note depicted the Pit Stop of the leg.
 * Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow

Leg 8 - Episode 8 (Russia)
Title: "We Was Robbed" - James (of James & Abba)
 * Agricultural Academy - Building # 6, Moscow
 * One team member was shown a brief slideshow, showing the time in Moscow, a map of Russia's nine different time zones and their UTC offsets, and a list of several Russian cities. After the show, they had to fill in the corresponding local time for any five cities before the show began again. If they completed in time and were correct, teams would receive their next clue. If they were wrong or ran out of time, they had to watch the presentation and do the quiz again.
 * Although the Speed Bump was not described by host Phil Keoghan on-air, James & Abba had to help a Russian Orthodox priest to get to his church via limousine in order to continue racing.
 * National Hotel, Moscow
 * Movers: Teams had to dress up as Russian soldiers before they learned the steps of the Trepak dance. Teams then performed this dance in front of a judge who would give them their next clue if they performed the dance correctly.
 * Shakers: Teams went to a party where several impersonators of Russian historical figures were attending. They had to identify seven specific figures: Catherine the Great, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, Leonid Brezhnev, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Peter the Great, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Nicholas II of Russia and Vladimir Lenin, and had to fill a form with this information of how many of each impersonator is present and giving the completed form to a judge. If they identified the correct figures, they would receive their next clue.
 * Sokolniki Park - Veranda Tantsev, Moscow

Leg 9 - Episode 9 (Russia → Netherlands)
Title: "Fishy Kiss" - Nadiya
 * At the start of the leg, teams were given a flag and were asked to find out what the capital of the country's flag, which is their next destination. Teams had to find out that they have to travel to Amsterdam, Netherlands.
 * Flight from Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Amsterdam, Netherlands
 * From Schiphol railway station, Amsterdam to Amsterdam Centraal railway station, Amsterdam
 * Teams had to take a boat onto the Amstel river and seek out a floating poffertjes stand near the Magere Brug to recieve their next clue.
 * Van Gogh Cafe, Amsterdam
 * Teams had to ride on The Floating Dutchman, an amphibious bus, and eat five herring each before it reaches land (within seven minutes) to win the Fast Forward clue.
 * Magere Brug – Poffertjesboot, Amsterdam
 * Back in Time: Teams had to re-create the Rembrandt painting The Night Watch with actors and props, including themselves. A judge determined if the team re-created the painting successfully and would award them their next clue.
 * Organ to Grind: One team member had to play an organ grinder while the other team member asked for €30 in tips to receive their next clue.
 * Museum Geelvinck-Hinlopen, Amsterdam
 * Jaymes & James U-turned Abbie & Ryan, while Trey & Lexi tried to U-turn Jaymes & James who were actually ahead of them.
 * Rural Village Field, Ransdorp
 * One team member had to participate in fierljeppen, pole vaulting across a ditch full of water. They had to vault across the ditch, retrieve their clue, and then vault back across. If they fell into the water at any point, they would have to start over from the side of the ditch they were on before. This was a Switchback to the leg 2 Roadblock of Season 12.
 * House of Rembrandt's Mistress, Ransdorp

Leg 10 - Episode 10 (Netherlands → Spain)
Title: "Not a Well-Rounded Athlete" - James (of Jaymes & James)
 * Flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Amsterdam to Barcelona–El Prat Airport, Barcelona, Spain
 * From Port of Barcelona, Barcelona to Port of Palma de Mallorca, Palma, Mallorca
 * Palma Cathedral, Palma
 * Teams had to search amongst a small troupe of actors for one dressed up as a particular demon who was holding their next clue.
 * Centro de Alto Rendimiento, Manacor
 * One team member had to return twenty tennis balls inbounds within a batch shot by an automatic server with a fixed supply of balls to receive their next clue. If they did not complete the 20 volleys during one serving set, they will have to restart.
 * Campanet Caves, Campanet
 * Windmill, Sa Pobla / Plaza de Toros de Muro, Muro
 * Spin It: Teams donned safety gear and then replaced two blades on a windmill. Once a mechanic checked their work, they received their next clue from Don Quixote.
 * Bull It: Teams must wear a special two-person bull outfit, with the person in front unable to see where they were going, while the team member in the back would verbally guide their partner in the front to circle eight matadors and then strike a target of a ninth to "launch" a final dummy matador. The entire course had to be completed within one minute and 45 seconds to receive their next clue.
 * Bellver Castle, Palma

Leg 11 & 12 - Episode 11 (Spain → France → United States)
Title: "Take Down That Million" - Trey
 * Flight from Palma de Mallorca Airport, Palma to Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Barcelona
 * From Barcelona Sants railway station, Barcelona to Gare de Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, Tours, Loire Valley, France
 * Upon arrival at Tours, teams had to load eight empty baskets into their Ford Focus using its automatic trunk opening/closing feature.
 * Château de Villandry, Villandry
 * Natalie & Nadiya had to properly lace and tie up a corset in order to continue racing.
 * Teams had to find Leonardo da Vinci's final resting place where there next clue is located.
 * Château d'Amboise, Amboise
 * Chow: Teams prepared a meal of meat and other food for a large number of hunting dogs by removing debris from the meat, cutting the meat into appropriate sizes, weighing out a designated amount of food, and then laying it out appropriately, before the judge would give them their next clue.
 * Plow: Teams used a plow attached to a work horse to mill four lines in a designed field, to the farmer's satisfaction to receive their next clue.
 * Le Caves de Roches, Bourré
 * One team member must take a basket to collect three specific types of mushrooms that grow underground. If they found the correct three mushrooms, the shopkeeper would give them their next clue.
 * Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux
 * From Gare de Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, Tours to Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV, Paris
 * Flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York, United States
 * Coney Island Boardwalk, Brooklyn
 * Teams had to locate a spot that matched up with a drawing of the amusement park on a postcard they had received at the pit stop. From there, they had to locate one advertising sign that pointed them to their next location: Brooklyn Navy Yard.
 * Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn
 * One team member must be put into a straitjacket and hoisted upside down. They then had to escape the bonds of the straitjacket, as made famous by Harry Houdini, upon which they would be lowered to the ground and be given their next clue.
 * Lombardi's Pizza, Manhattan
 * Teams had to deliver ten pizzas with various toppings to three different Little Italy locations listed on boards. Teams had to remember the addresses and pizza orders and could not write these down. Once they had successfully completed all three orders, they received their next clue.
 * United Nations Headquarters, Manhattan
 * One team member must match the "hello" and "goodbye" greetings said by the greeter from each of the nine United Nations member states they had visited during the race. Team members had to match the sayings to the national flag, and then hoisted their responses on the flagpole to see if they were correct or not. Once all nine flag sets were correct, the last flag, which is the flag of the United Nations, could be hoisted, at the same time lowering the clue directing teams to the finish line in Gotham Hall.
 * Finish Line: Gotham Hall, Manhattan
 * Finish Line: Gotham Hall, Manhattan

Pitstop Greeters

 * Click here for this season's Greeters

Good Situations

 * Jaymes & James edging out Rob & Sheila in a footrace to the pit stop by 15 seconds.
 * Josh & Brent overtaking two teams at the final Roadblock and pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Amazing Race history by winning the race.

Bad Situations

 * James & Abba losing their passport.
 * Abbie & Ryan U-Turned by Jaymes & James.
 * Natalie & Nadiya went in the wrong direction searching for the pit stop.

Franchise

 * Josh & Brent
 * First male team to win the race without winning any previous legs.
 * First season to have the second slot of a double u-turn used on the team who used the first u-turn twice

American

 * Josh & Brent
 * First team to win the race without winning any previous legs in a season that is not an all-star season.