U-Turn

The U-Turn is located immediately after a Detour.

The U-Turn was introduced in Season 12. After completing a chosen Detour option, a team may use the U-Turn to force another team to also complete the other Detour option they did not originally choose. Similarly to a Yield, the team placing the U-Turn places a photo of the team they are penalizing along with their own "Courtesy Of" photo on the U-Turn marker stand. Since Season 19, electronic tablets were used in place of the photos.

Like the Yield, if the team has lost their "Courtesy Of" photo, they will be unable to use their U-Turn power for the remainder of the Race. This was seen in The Amazing Race Asia 3 in Leg 9, after Ida & Tania decided to U-Turn Geoff & Tisha only to realize they did not have their "Courtesy Of" photo with them.

It is possible for a team to U-Turn another team that has already passed the U-Turn, nullifying its effects. A team can only use their U-Turn power once per Race and only one team may be affected by the same U-Turn during a leg. Teams are warned of an upcoming U-Turn on the Route Marker or after the Detour clue. Season 15 was the first and only season since it's inception not to show a U-Turn. If the Fast Forward and U-Turn appear in the same leg or if there will be Double U-Turn, that leg will have a U-Turn warning in the first clue they receive [usually at the pit stop of the previous leg, or at the virtual pit stop] [e.g: Season 16, Leg 9 (Fast Foward & U-Turn), Season 17, Leg 9 (Double U-Turn), Season 18, Leg 5 & 9 (Double U-Turn)]

Blind/Anonymous U-Turn
Starting in Season 14, teams were met with a variation of the U-Turn called a "Blind U-Turn" ("Anonymous U-Turn" in the Australian version). If teams use a Blind U-Turn, they do not have to publicly reveal themselves as the perpetrators with their "Courtesy Of" photo.

Double U-Turn
In Season 17, the Double U-Turn was introduced. This addition allowed two individual teams to each U-Turn two other teams. and it become a main U-turn in later season. In Leg 9 of the season 17, Jill & Thomas U-Turned Brook & Claire and then Nat & Kat U-Turned Chad & Stephanie. In Season 18, it appeared in leg 5 and Leg 9 (Kent & Vyxsin U-Turned Jaime & Cara and Jaime & Cara U-Turned Flight Time & Big Easy in Leg 5, while in Leg 9, only one of the U-turn slots was used (Flight Time & Big Easy U-Turned Jet & Cord). The third season of the Latin American version was the first season in all the franchise to air a Double U-Turn that no teams used.

As a Penalty
In Season 18, the last team to complete the starting line challenge, Amanda & Kris, was automatically penalized with a U-Turn for the first Detour they encountered.

In Season 4 of the Latin American version, the last team to complete the starting line challenge, Billy & Gean, was automatically penalized with a U-Turn for the first Detour they encountered.

Must-Vote U-Turn
The second season of the Israeli has a different format of the U-Turn where, at the start of the Leg, each team votes for who should receive the U-Turn. The team with the most votes is forced to complete both of the Detour tasks upon arriving at the Detour.

The voting format was later used in season two of the Australian version and season one of the Filipino version.

Blind Double U-turn
sesaon21 have a new type of U-turn called Blind Double U-turn although board same as the Double U-turn team use it don't have to reveal themselves as the U-turn users

U-Turn Users
Note: All U-Turns are normal unless otherwise stated.

Season 12
 * Shana & Jennifer [on Lorena & Jason]
 * Kynt & Vyxsin [on Nicolas & Donald, who were ahead of them]

Season 14 Season 15
 * Margie & Luke [Blind U-Turn on Amanda & Kris]
 * Tammy & Victor [on Kisha & Jen]
 * Lance & Keri [Blind U-Turn on Sam & Dan, who were ahead of them] (unaired)

Season 16
 * Louie & Michael [Blind U-Turn on Joe & Heidi]
 * Brent & Caite [on Carol & Brandy]

Season 17
 * Jill & Thomas [Slot #1 of the Double U-Turn on Brook & Claire]
 * Nat & Kat [Slot #2 of the Double U-Turn on Chad & Stephanie]

Season 18 Season 19
 * Kynt & Vyxsin [Slot #1 of the Double U-Turn on Jaime & Cara]
 * Jaime & Cara [Slot #2 of the Double U-Turn on Flight Time & Big Easy]
 * Flight Time & Big Easy [Slot #1 of the Double U-Turn on Jet & Cord]
 * Laurence & Zac [Slot #1 of the Double U-Turn on Amani & Marcus, who were ahead of them]
 * Ernie & Cindy [Slot #1 of the Double U-Turn on Bill & Cathi]
 * Bill & Cathi [Slot #2 of the Double U-Turn on Laurence & Zac]

Season 20
 * Art & JJ [Slot #1 of the Double U-Turn on Brendon & Rachel]
 * Brendon & Rachel [Slot #2 of the Double U-Turn on Vanessa & Ralph]

Season 21 Asia Season 3
 * Rob & Kelley [Slot #1 of the Blind Double U-Turn on Gary & Will]
 * Gary & Will [Slot #2 of the Blind Double U-Turn on Rob & Kelley, who were ahead of them]
 * Jaymes & James [Slot #1 of the Double U-Turn on Abbie & Ryan]
 * Trey & Lexi [Slot #2 of the Double U-Turn on Jaymes & James, who were ahead of them]
 * Geoff & Tisha [on A.D. & Fuzzie]

Asia Season 4
 * Michelle & Claire [on Sunaina & Dimple]

Latin America Season 1
 * Ferna & Fran [on Anna & Rodrigo]

Latin America Season 2 Latin America Season 4
 * Aleandra & Marlene [on Vinícius & Guilherme]


 * Renan & Fran [Slot #1 of the Double U-Turn on Daniel & César]

HaMerotz LaMillion Season 1 HaMerotz LaMillion Season 2
 * Michal & Ran [on Maya & Amichay]
 * Shay & Guy [on Hadas & Inbal]
 * Alon & Oren, Bar & Inna, Pundak & Moti, Tom & Adele [majority vote on Alon & Hen]
 * Alon & Oren, Bar & Inna, Pundak & Moti, Tom & Adele [majority vote on Alon & Hen]
 * Alon & Oren, Bar & Inna, Osi & Carmit [majority vote on Tom & Adele]
 * Anaelle & Akiva, Osi & Carmit, Pundak & Moti, Tom & Adele [majority vote on Bar & Inna]
 * Anaelle & Akiva, Osi & Carmit, Pundak & Moti, Tom & Adele [majority vote on Alon & Oren]
 * Anaelle & Akiva, Osi & Carmit, Tom & Adele [majority vote on Bar & Inna]

China Rush Season 1
 * Lisa & Karen [on Deepak & Naresh]

China Rush Season 2 China Rush Season 3
 * Summer & Eachen [on Sun Bin & Hao Fei'er, who were ahead of them]
 * Mary & Cecilia [Slot #1 of the Double U-Turn on Lily & Jan]
 * Sun Bin & Hao Fei'er [Slot #2 of the Double U-Turn on Elena & Tameka]


 * Ryan & Charlie [on Zhang Yelin & Li Yang]

Australia Season 1 Australia Season 2 Vietnam Season 1
 * Tyler & Nathan [on Richard & Joey]
 * Joseph & Grace, Michelle & Jo, Ross & Tarryn, Shane & Andrew, Sticky & Sam, Kym & Donna [majority vote on Paul & Steve]
 * Shane & Andrew [Anonymous U-Turn on Paul & Steve]

France Season 1
 * Thành Chung & Thanh Bằng [on Tuấn Anh & Xuân Sơn]
 * Chí Bình & Hồng Long [on Tuấn Anh & Xuân Sơn]

Philippines Season 1 Norway Season 2
 * Oucéni & Lassana [on Anthony & Sonja]
 * Marc & Kat, LJ & CJ, Saida & Jervi [majority vote on Dani & Mish]
 * Omar & Bilal [on Cecilie & Camilla]