The Amazing Race 15

The Amazing Race 15 is the fifteenth season of the reality television show, The Amazing Race. It premiered on September 27, 2009 and ended on December 6, 2009 on CBS television.

Teams

 * Main article: The Amazing Race 15 Teams

Results
The following teams participated in the Race, with their relationships at the time of filming. Placements are listed in finishing order:


 * An * indicates that the contestant(s) appeared on more than one season.

Eric & Lisa were eliminated at the starting line when they were unable to complete the assigned task. Mika & Canaan arrived 10th, but had lost a tourist and could not check in; once they found the lost tourist, they returned and still checked in 10th. Maria & Tiffany arrived 11th and were assessed a 2-hour penalty for losing two tourists; since they were already last, Phil checked them in and they were assessed their penalty at the start of the next leg. Zev & Justin arrived 1st but were missing Zev's passport; Phil told them to look for the missing passport; they returned without the passport after all others teams had checked in and were eliminated. Mika & Canaan arrived last at the Pit Stop without having properly completing the Leap of Faith task and were eliminated. Brian & Ericka arrived 5th, but were issued a 30-minute penalty because they did not travel by bicycle to the Detour as instructed; no other teams arrived during the penalty and they were able to check in 5th. Maria & Tiffany failed to complete the Detour and chose to take a 24-hour penalty instead. Already in last place, Phil came to the site of the Detour and eliminated them. Flight Time & Big Easy quit the Roadblock and elected to take a 4-hour penalty at that site. When they arrived at the next Route Marker, the Kryocentrum, their clue instructed them to go directly to the Pit Stop, where they were eliminated since all other teams had checked in.

Leg 1 (Unined States → Japan)
Title: "They Thought Godzilla Was Walking Down the Street" --Flight Time
 * [[File:Icon-route.png]] Starting Line: Los Angeles River--Sixth Street Viaduct, Los Angeles, California
 * At the Starting Line, the 12 teams had to search more than 1000 license plates for one of 11 that showed the first destination, Shinagawa, Tokyo (品川); Teams brought the plate Phil at the mat and, if they were correct, received tickets to Tokyo, Japan. The last team would be left without a correct plate and no tickets, thus being eliminated.
 * [[File:Icon-Airport.png]] Los Angeles International Airport, Loa Angeles, California to Narita International Airport, Tokyo, Japan
 * [[File:Icon-Roadblock.png]] (Japanese Gameshow) Tokyo Tower Studios (東京タワースタジオ), Minato, Tokyo
 * Japanese Game Show: One team member had to play Sushi Roulette. The host would spin a wheel with 9 plates of ordinary sushi and 2 wasabi bombs; the team member had to eat everything on the plate in front of them when the wheel stopped; if it was a wasabi bomb, they had 2 minutes to eat it in order to receive their next clue; if they failed to eat the wasabi bomb in the 2 minutes allotted, or if a different piece of sushi stopped in front of them, they would have to await the next spin of the wheel.
 * [[File:Icon-route.png]] Shibuya, Tokyo: Teams received a colored flag and had to lead a group of 20 Japanese tourists wearing the same colored visors as their flag to the Pit Stop; teams needed all 20 members to be able to check in
 * [[File:Icon-NonEliminationLeg.png]] Konnō Hachimangū Shrine (金王八幡宮), Shibuya, Tokyo
 * [[File:Icon-NonEliminationLeg.png]] Konnō Hachimangū Shrine (金王八幡宮), Shibuya, Tokyo

Leg 2 (Japan → Vietnam)
Title: "They Thought Godzilla Was Walking Down the Street" --Flight Time
 * [[File:Icon-Airport.png]] Narita International Airport, Tokyo, Japan to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
 * [[File:Icon-bus.png]] Western Region Bus Terminal, Ho Chi Minh City (Bến xe Miền Tây) to Cái Bè Bus Terminal, Cái Bè
 * [[File:Icon-SpeedBump.png]] (Serve Soup)Bến Tàu Du Lịch Dock, Cái Bè: For Maria & Tiffany only--collect ingredients for a serving of the Vietnamese soup phở and serve the completed soup to the Bến Tàu Du Lịch dockmaster
 * [[File:Icon-route.png]] Fruit Farm Mud Pits, Bến Tàu Du Lịch Boat Dock, Cái Bè: teams had to take a sampan along the Mekong Delta to a fruit farm and collect nutrient-rich mud in buckets and pile it at the base of a fruit tree to a designated line to receive their next clue.
 * [[File:Icon-Roadblock.png]] ('Who's feeling just ducky?) Sân Vận Động Thị Trấn Cái Bè (Cai Be Township Sports Ground), Cái Bè: a team member had to use two flags to herd 150 ducks from their pen, across a bridge and back to their pen in 10 minutes or less; there were only three fields, so if the team member failed, they would have to wait for another turn.
 * [[File:Icon-PitStop.png]] Bassac III Riverboat, Chợ Cái Bè (Cai Be Market), Cái Bè
 * Elimination Station: Garrett & Jessica
 * Elimination Station: Garrett & Jessica

Leg 3 (Vietnam)
Title: "It's Like Being Dropped on Planet Mars" –-Lance During the Pit Stop, the Bassac III traveled from Cái Bè to Mỹ Tho.
 * Icon-ferry.png Cái Bè to Mỹ Tho (Mỹ Tho Boat Pier)
 * Ho Chi Minh City (Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre [Nhà hát Múa rối nước Rồng Vàng)
 * At the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre, teams had to grab a flag containing their clue from the mouth of a dragon puppet moving about in the water. This clue consisted solely of a postage stamp concealed inside a small container. Teams were left to figure out that the stamp depicted the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office, where their next clue was located.
 * Ho Chi Minh City (Ho Chi Minh City Post Office)
 * In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Child's Play or Word Play. In Child's Play, teams had to find a kiosk named Nhiep Anh Công viên Tao Đàn Kiosque Giao Anh in Tao Dan Park (Công viên Tao Đàn) and transport a concrete animal statue to a children's playground, collecting five different colored balloons along the way, in order to receive their next clue. In Word Play, teams had to go up to Hotel A Dong's observation deck and search the traffic circle of Ngã sáu Cộng Hoà (Six-way Intersection of the Republic) in front of the hotel for six Vietnamese letters hidden atop vehicles passing through the circle, then get assistance from the locals to unscramble the letters to spell the Vietnamese word "Độc Lập", which means "independence."
 * Ho Chi Minh City (Điện cơ 008)
 * In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to disassemble and organize the hardware of two VCRs in order to receive their next clue.
 * Ho Chi Minh City (Reunification Palace)

Leg 4 (Vietnam → Cambodia)
Title: "Sean Penn Cambodia Here We Come" –-Justin
 * [[Image:Icon-Airport.png|20px|Flight:]] Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat International Airport) to Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Phnom Penh International Airport)
 * Phnom Penh (Foreign Correspondents' Club)
 * Phnom Penh (Raffles Hotel Le Royal)
 * Phnom Penh (Wat Toul Tom Pong)
 * Phnom Penh (Wat Phnom)

In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Cover or Wrap. In Cover, teams headed to a marked motorcycle helmet shop, choose four helmets, then sell them using just their persuasion to a family of four (two adults and two children) for US $10. When completed, they would hand the money to the store owner who would hand them their next clue in exchange. In Wrap, teams had to find the Russian Market (Psar Toul Tom Poung) and find stalls 980 and 981, where the shopkeeper handed them a silk scarf. They then had to search the market for a woman wearing an identical scarf and bring the woman back to the stall. When they correctly matched the two scarfs, the shopkeeper would hand them their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to put on a monkey mask and tail, then perform three Classical Khmer monkey dance maneuvers as demonstrated by the monkey dancer. If it was to the satisfaction of the monkey dancer, he would hand them their next clue.


 * Additional tasks
 * At the Foreign Correspondents' Club, teams had to find two correspondents reading newspapers and whisper to them, "May I have my next assignment?" They then would receive their next clue hidden inside a newspaper.
 * Inside the clue given at the Foreign Correspondents' Club was a duplicate photo of King Norodom Sihanouk and Jacqueline Kennedy taken in 1967. Teams were left to figure out that such a photo could be found at a hotel suite named after Kennedy at the Hotel Le Royal, where they would receive their next clue.

Leg 5 (Cambodia → United Arab Emirates)
Title: "I’m Like Ricky Bobby" --Cheyne
 * [[Image:Icon-Airport.png|20px|Flight:]] Phnom Penh (Phnom Penh International Airport) to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Dubai International Airport)
 * Dubai (Burj Dubai) (Dubai Autodrome)
 * Dubai (The Dubai Mall - Park # P2)
 * Margham (مرغم) (Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve محمية دبي الصحراوية)
 * Dubai (Mall of the Emirates – Ski Dubai)
 * Dubai (Souk Madinat Jumeirah)

In the Race's only Fast Forward, one team member had to operate a Formula Three open wheel race car and complete a single lap around the track of the Dubai Autodrome in 45 seconds or less. If successful, they would win the Fast Forward and be driven to the Pit Stop in a Maserati. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member chose a traditional water bag and had to search the Desert Reserve for a series of urns buried in the sand. Some of the urns contained water, while others were empty. When they found enough water to fill their bag, they gave it to a Bedouin and his thirsty camels to receive their next clue. In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Build a Snowman or Find a Snowman. In Build a Snowman, teams had to take snow from Ski Dubai and carry it outside, where the temperature was approximately 120 degrees Fahrenheit. They then had to build a snowman – complete with two coal eyes, carrot nose and a top hat – before the snow melted. If the snowman was to the attendant's satisfaction, she would hand them their next clue. In Find a Snowman, teams had to ride the ski lift to the top of the artificial mountain, sled down to the bottom, dig through piles of snow for a toy snowman buried within it, then give it to a person in a polar bear suit who would hand them their next clue.


 * Additional task
 * Teams arrived at the Dubai Fountain to sign up for one of two departure times to Burj Dubai (now Burj Khalifa) the following morning. At the designated time, the teams boarded an elevator bound for a balcony located on the 120th floor of then still-under construction tallest building in the world, where their next clue was located.

Leg 6 (United Arab Emirates)
Title: "Do It for the Hood! Do It for the Suburbs!" –-Flight Time/Sam
 * Dubai (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club)
 * Dubai (Abra Station in Souq quarter of Dubai to Deira, Dubai)
 * Palm Jumeirah, Dubai (Atlantis, The Palm - Aquaventure - The Leap of Faith)
 * Palm Jumeirah, Dubai (Atlantis, The Palm - Dolphin Bay Beach)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to row an inflatable dinghy out to a yacht anchored offshore and meet a sheikh on board who gave the team member a watch. After rowing back to the dock, he or she would have to open a locked briefcase they were told to pick up at the beginning of the leg, figuring out that the time displayed on the watch corresponded with the combination to the briefcase's lock (8:35 → 8-3-5). In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Gold or Glass. In Gold, teams had to find Deepu Jewellers in New Gold Centre in Deira where they would use a precision scale to weigh out US $500,000 worth of gold to the nearest ounce. The price of gold per ounce was displayed on a television monitor and changed by the minute. Once the correct amount was on the scale, they would receive their next clue. In Glass, teams made their way to a spice market in Deira where they had to open a crate and assemble twelve hookahs – using all parts from the crate and using three displayed hookahs as guides – before receiving their next clue.


 * Additional tasks
 * At the Atlantis Aquaventure Park, both team members had to slide down the resort's Leap of Faith water slide which dropped them six stories down a nearly 90° incline and through a tunnel beneath the aquarium's shark lagoon. At the bottom, teams would find their next clue. If multiple teams were at the top of the slide at the same time, the leading team had two minutes to go down the slide; if the two minutes elapsed, the leading team was required to move aside and allow the trailing team the opportunity to slide down.
 * At the Atlantis Aquaventure Park, both team members had to slide down the resort's Leap of Faith water slide which dropped them six stories down a nearly 90° incline and through a tunnel beneath the aquarium's shark lagoon. At the bottom, teams would find their next clue. If multiple teams were at the top of the slide at the same time, the leading team had two minutes to go down the slide; if the two minutes elapsed, the leading team was required to move aside and allow the trailing team the opportunity to slide down.

Leg 7 (United Arab Emirates → Netherlands)
Title: "This Is Not My Finest Hour" –-Ericka
 * [[Image:Icon-Airport.png|20px|Flight:]] Dubai (Dubai International Airport) to Amsterdam, Netherlands (Amsterdam Airport Schiphol)
 * Afsluitdijk (Cornelis Lely Monument)
 * Groningen (Martinitoren)
 * Vierhuizen, De Marne (Windmill De Onderneming) (Farmer's Game or Farmer's Dance)
 * Zoutkamp, De Marne (Harbor)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to climb to the top of the Martinitoren and count all of the bells in the carillon. When they gave the right number (62) to the carillonneur, they would receive their next clue. In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Farmer's Game or Farmer's Dance. In both Detours, teams dressed in traditional Dutch costumes&mdash;one male and one female&mdash;and rode bicycles to their Detour choice. In Farmer's Game, teams had to strip down to their Dutch underwear and swim across a creek. On the other side, they had to retrieve a special set of golf clubs and play 3 holes of Farmersgolf. Team members took turns with each stroke and had to finish within par of 8 strokes on each hole to receive their next clue. In Farmer's Dance, teams had to find a country festival where one team member had to hit the bell on a high striker (if that team member failed, team members would take turns until they hit the bell). They then had to enter a dance hall to learn a traditional Dutch folk dance and perform that dance in front of a crowd. If the dance was to the instructor's satisfaction, the instructor would give each team member a serving of soused herring which they had to eat in order to receive their next clue.

Leg 8 (Netherlands → Sweden)
Title: "This Is the Worst Thing I've Ever Done in My Life" –-Meghan
 * [[Image:Icon-Airport.png|20px|Flight:]] Amsterdam (Amsterdam Airport Schiphol) to Stockholm, Sweden (Stockholm-Arlanda Airport)
 * Stockholm (Tivoli Gröna Lund - Fritt Fall)
 * Stockholm (Tivoli Gröna Lund - Ring Toss Booth) (Nobel Dynamite or Viking Alphabet)
 * Väsby, Sollentuna Municipality (Bögs Gård Farm

In this leg's Detour, teams choose between Nobel Dynamite or Viking Alphabet. In Nobel Dynamite, teams traveled to a rock quarry and had to fill sandbags to create a protective bunker in the rock quarry. Once they were protected, they set off an explosion with dynamite, which would unearth a metal box containing their next clue. In Viking Alphabet, teams had to decode a message in Elder Futhark on a runestone (using smaller stones with both runes and letters) that told them to "Find the Strong Viking" to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member participated in an Amazing Race Switchback of the notorious Roadblock from the Sweden leg of Season 6: the team member had to search through 186 hay bales to find one of seven flags (the Season 6 Roadblock had sisters Lena & Kristy searching for their clue for nearly 10 hours). When teams found one of the flags, they were allowed to proceed to the nearby Pit Stop.


 * Additional tasks
 * At the Tivoli Gröna Lund amusement park, one team member had to ride the Fritt Fall drop tower to look for an arrow that pointed them in the direction of their next clue, located among some carnival games.
 * After successfully locating the clue from the Fritt Fall, teams had to play a game of ring toss until they ringed a cone with a Travelocity Roaming Gnome concealed beneath it. If successful, the game operator would hand them the gnome, which had their next clue on the bottom of its base. Teams had to keep the Roaming Gnome with them for the remainder of the leg.
 * After successfully locating the clue from the Fritt Fall, teams had to play a game of ring toss until they ringed a cone with a Travelocity Roaming Gnome concealed beneath it. If successful, the game operator would hand them the gnome, which had their next clue on the bottom of its base. Teams had to keep the Roaming Gnome with them for the remainder of the leg.

Leg 9 (Sweden → Estonia)
Title: "We’re Not Meant for the Swamp" –-Brian
 * [[Image:Icon-ferry.png|20px|Ferry:]] Stockholm, Sweden (Frihamnsterminalen) to Tallinn, Estonia (Port of Tallinn)
 * Tallinn (Mustpeade Maja or the Brotherhood of the Blackheads Guild Lair)
 * Tallinn (Pikk Hermann Tower Garden)
 * Keava (Keava Raba Outlook Tower)

In this leg's Roadblock, teams went into the cellar of the Mustpeade Maja and participated in a ceremony of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads Guild. Team members took a candelabra with a room number attached from a table of revelers. When they found that room, they were given what appeared to be a blank scroll and a crayon. Team members had to figure out that their next clue was written in invisible ink and could be revealed by holding the scroll over the light of the candle. In this leg's Detour, teams choose between Sling or Serve. In Sling, teams put on bog shoes and walked out onto the bog where they used slingshots to fire assorted vegetables at a target, which when hit would collapse a table full of cabbages along with their next clue. In Serve, teams participated in a game of volleyball in the Keava bog, where they had to score a total of five points against a local team in order to receive their next clue.


 * Additional task
 * At the beginning of the leg, teams were given a set of keys along with their clue. When they arrived at the Mustpeade Maja, they had to find the right key that would sound an alarm to open the door.

Leg 10 (Estonia → Czech Republic)
Title: "We're Not Working With Anybody, Ever, Anymore!" –-Ericka
 * [[Image:Icon-Airport.png|20px|Flight:]] Tallinn (Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport) to Prague, Czech Republic (Ruzyně Airport)
 * Prague (Old Town Square)
 * Prague (Vltava - Kajaky Trója)
 * Prague (Estates Theatre) (Who can remain composed under pressure?)
 * Prague (Prague Castle)

In this leg's Detour, teams chose Fast & Furious or Slow & Steady. In Fast & Furious, teams had to row a kayak down a manmade whitewater rafting course used by professional kayakers and grab a ribbon suspended over the course which had their next clue written on it; if their boat capsized before reaching the clue, they had to start the course over. In Slow & Steady, teams had to pull themselves along an aerial rope course suspended above the rafting course. When they reached the end of the rope, they would get ribbons that had their next clue written on them. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search the Estates Theatre for a miniature mandolin guitar. Once they found it, they had to bring it onstage to an actor dressed as the titular character from the Mozart opera Don Giovanni who would hand them their next clue.


 * Additional tasks
 * At Old Town Square, teams had to find a man in a vintage Praga who would give them their next clue.
 * After the Detour, teams had to figure out that the words on their ribbons – Stavovské Divadlo – referred to the Estates Theatre, their next destination.

Leg 11 (Czech Republic)
Title: "It Starts With an “F”, That’s All I’m Saying" –-Dan
 * Prague (Spanish Synagogue)
 * Prague (Ekotechnické Museum)
 * Prague (Kryocentrum)
 * Prague (Charles Bridge)
 * Prague (Střelecký Ostrov)

For this leg's Speed Bump, Brian & Ericka had to find the M1 Lounge, where each of them had to prepare and drink a traditional shot of absinthe. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member entered the museum and search among several hundred ringing telephones for the five that had a person on the other end of the line. A voice from each phone would give the team member one letter to the word "FRANZ"&mdash;a reference to Franz Kafka. After obtaining all five letters, the team member had to fill out a form with several biographical questions and attempt to unscramble the five letters to form his name. If they were correct, the inspector would hand them their next clue. In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Legend or Lager. In Legend, teams built a golem by placing wet clay around a hay frame, then transported it to the Old-New Synagogue. If the golem was to the rabbis' satisfaction, they would hand them their next clue. In Lager, teams had to carry a total of 30 glasses of beer from a brewery called Pivovar a Restaurace "U Fleků" through the busy town square and deliver them to a bar named Restaurace Kozička to receive their next clue.


 * Additional tasks
 * At the Kryocentrum, teams had to strip down to their underwear and spend two minutes in a cryotherapy chamber which reached temperatures of -160 degrees Celsius. After the two minutes were up, they received their next clue.

Leg 12 (Czech Republic → United States)
Title: "Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound" –- non-contestant 
 * [[Image:Icon-Airport.png|20px|Flight:]] Prague (Ruzyně Airport) to Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (McCarran International Airport)
 * Las Vegas (Graceland Wedding Chapel)
 * Las Vegas (Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino)
 * Las Vegas (The Mirage)
 * Las Vegas (Monte Carlo Resort and Casino)
 * Las Vegas (MGM Grand Las Vegas)
 * Las Vegas (Wayne Newton's House, the Casa de Shenandoah) (Finish Line)

For the season's final Roadblock, one team member had to rappel down the exterior of the Mandalay Bay hotel tower face-down in order to retrieve their next clue.


 * Additional tasks
 * At the Mirage's Love theater, one team member was harnessed in a bungee cord and launched by his or her teammate in an attempt to retrieve a bouquet of flowers dangling in the air. Once the entire bouquet was obtained, they had to hand it to an actress acting as a flower girl to receive their next clue.
 * The clue received at the end of the bungee cord task instructed teams to go to "the most famous casino in Monaco", and left them to figure out that this was a reference to the namesake of the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino.
 * At the Monte Carlo, teams had to count out a total of $1,000,000 worth of poker chips which were scattered on several poker tables. Once the dealer verified their count was correct, they would receive a chip worth $1,000,000 and their final clue.
 * At the MGM Grand, teams had to find Suite 88 where they would find Wayne Newton, who would tell them the location of the Finish Line&mdash;his house.

Franchise

 * Most number of couples in love, 7 (tied with Season 6, and All-Stars).
 * Least number of females teams: 1
 * Meghan & Cheyne
 * Sam & Dan
 * Brian & Ericka
 * First interracial couple
 * Flight Time & Big Easy
 * Gary & Matt
 * Maria & Tiffany
 * Mika & Canaan
 * Lance & Keri
 * Zev & Justin
 * Zev is the first autistic contestant (diagnosed by Asperger's Syndrome)
 * Marcy & Ron
 * Oldest dating couple
 * Garrett & Jessica
 * Eric & Lisa
 * First team to be eliminated at the starting line
 * Ran the shortest distance in the history of the race

American

 * First season to peg the first leg as a non-elimination leg. (Eric & Lisa were eliminated in the first leg but not at the pit stop. Instead they were eliminated at the starting line). And also no one was eliminated in the first pit stop.

PitStop Greeters

 * Click here for this season's Greeters