The Amazing Race Wiki

The Amazing Race 1, originally broadcast as The Amazing Race, is the inaugural installment of The Amazing Race (US) and the reality television franchise The Amazing Race. It premiered on September 5, 2001 and ended on December 13, 2001 on CBS. The entire season was released on DVD on September 27, 2005.[1]

Production[]

In December 2000, CBS announced that it was set to produce a new reality show entitled CBS Summer Global Adventure Series, which would feature eight teams of two traveling to eleven international locations to win $1 million.[2] Location scouting for the racecourse took place in January 2001.

Filming of the inaugural season of The Amazing Race started on March 8, 2001 and concluded on April 8, 2001, traveling 35,000 miles (56,000 km) across nine countries on four continents. The first season was marred by several production difficulties such as filming delays due to an airport strike in Rome and a sandstorm in the Sahara Desert, with the latter prompting production to prolong the teams' stay in the Pit Stop for 36 hours instead of the standard 12 and eventually moving to Gabès to commence Leg 6. The top of the original World Trade Center was considered as the Finish Line for the season but was changed to Flushing Meadows Park after production was unable to secure the needed permits.[3]

The season was originally planned to premiere in between May and July 2001, but was held back for the fall once CBS saw the final product in order to obtain a larger viewing audience.[4] Broadcast was postponed a further week due to the September 11 attacks, which occurred six days after the premiere.[5]

Several presentation aspects were unique to the first season. Teams were not required to read clues out loud to the cameras. In legs that featured self-driving, the team's cameraman sat in the back seat with the sound operator while the non-driving team member sat in the co-pilot seat. At the behest of CBS executives, host Phil Keoghan only greeted the last place team in every Pit Stop; all other teams were greeted and informed of their placements by local "greeters". Route Markers for this season were colored yellow and white, while each leg's Pit Stop mat featured a localized design.[6]

Uniquely, Keoghan also narrated the show's premise over each episode's opening credits:

It’s the most daring competition ever attempted, 11 two-person teams bound by friendship, love, or family, will race around the world. They have no idea where they’re going, what dangers they may encounter, or how the journey will affect their lives. Most of the teams will be eliminated, but the team that reaches the Finish Line first, will win a cash prize of one million dollars. This is a Race like no other in history. This is... The Amazing Race.

Format[]

  • 13 Legs: The Race consisted of 13 single-length legs. Teams encountered a Detour and a Roadblock on each leg.
  • Fast Forward: A Fast Forward is available on each leg until there are only four teams remaining. A team could only claim one Fast Forward throughout the entire Race.
  • Single Flight Itinerary: Teams could only book one travel itinerary for themselves. They could not book another set of tickets if they discovered another flight they would prefer after purchasing the first booking.
  • No Penalty on Non-Elimination Legs: There were four predetermined Non-Elimination Legs. A team that came in last on a Non-Elimination Leg did not incur any penalty.
  • Rules and Penalties: Teams were assessed penalties for rules infractions at the next Pit Stop following the infraction. Originally, penalties only affected a team's departure in the next leg. However, a penalty incurred in the ninth leg affected which team would be checked-in last and eliminated, thus the penalty was applied to that leg's final result. The following rules and penalties were revealed on this season:
    • A team that improperly completes a Detour or a Roadblock would incur a time penalty of unspecified length.
    • A team that takes the form of transportation specified in their clue only partway through, then switches to another form of transportation would incur a 30-minute penalty.
    • A team that fails to complete either side of a Detour would incur a 24-hour penalty.

Teams[]

Rob & Brennan
Rob & Brennan
 1st place 
Rob & Brennan
Lawyers/Best Friends
Frank & Margarita
Frank & Margarita
 2nd place 
Frank & Margarita
Separated Parents
Joe & Bill
Joe & Bill
 3rd place 
Joe & Bill
Life Partners
Kevin & Drew
Kevin & Drew
 4th place 
Kevin & Drew
Fraternity Brothers
Nancy & Emily
Nancy & Emily
 5th place 
Nancy & Emily
Mother/Daughter
Lenny & Karyn
Lenny & Karyn
 6th place 
Lenny & Karyn
Dating
Paul & Amie
Paul & Amie
 7th place 
Paul & Amie
Engaged
Dave & Margaretta
Dave & Margaretta
 8th place 
Dave & Margaretta
Grandparents
Pat & Brenda
Pat & Brenda
 9th place 
Pat & Brenda
Working Moms
Kim & Leslie
Kim & Leslie
 10th place 
Kim & Leslie
Teachers/Roommates
Matt & Ana
Matt & Ana
 11th place 
Matt & Ana
Married

Episodes[]

Episode Air Date Leg Destination First Place Last Place Finish Viewership
(millions)[7]
Ratings/Share
(18-49)[7]
1 "The Race Begins" September 5, 2001 1 United States → South Africa → Zambia Rob & Brennan Matt & Ana 1st Eliminated
11th Place
11.80 5.1/13
2 "Divide and Conquer" September 19, 2001 2 Zambia → France Pat & Brenda Kim & Leslie 2nd Eliminated
10th Place
10.00 4.6/12
3 "Home for Some" September 26, 2001 3 France Kevin & Drew Pat & Brenda 3rd Eliminated
9th Place
8.60 3.6/9
4 "Colossal Showdown" October 3, 2001 4 France → Tunisia Joe & Bill Dave & Margeretta 4th Eliminated
8th Place
8.70 3.9/10
5 "Desert Storm" October 10, 2001 5 Tunisia Kevin & Drew Paul & Amie 5th Eliminated
7th Place
8.30 3.7/9
6 "Whatever It Takes to Win" October 17, 2001 6 Tunisia → Italy Frank & Margarita Lenny & Karyn Non-Elimination
Leg
8.40 3.6/9
7 "Triumph and Loss" October 24, 2001 7 Italy → India Frank & Margarita Lenny & Karyn 6th Eliminated
6th Place
9.20 4.0/10
8 "Competition to the Fullest" October 31, 2001 8 India Kevin & Drew Nancy & Emily Non-Elimination
Leg
8.40 3.6/9
9 "The Unexpected Twist" November 14, 2001 9 India → Thailand Rob & Brennan Nancy & Emily 7th Eliminated
5th Place
9.40 3.8/9
10 "To the Physical and Mental Limit" November 21, 2001 10 Thailand Rob & Brennan Joe & Bill Non-Elimination
Leg
8.20 3.1/9
11 "Fight to the Last Minute" November 28, 2001 11 Thailand → China Frank & Margarita Kevin & Drew 8th Eliminated
4th Place
9.50 4.1/10
12 "Race to the Finish (Part 1)" December 5, 2001 12 China → United States Rob & Brennan Joe & Bill Non-Elimination
Leg
9.40 3.7/9
13 "Race to the Finish (Part 2)" December 13, 2001 13 United States Rob & Brennan Joe & Bill 3rd Place 13.70 6.0/15
Frank & Margarita 2nd Place

Leaderboard[]

This chart shows each teams ranking per leg according to their official check in at the Pit Stop. However, time penalties issued before the start of the next leg due to improperly performed tasks are not reflected here.

Place Team Leg 1 Leg 2 Leg 3 Leg 4 Leg 5 Leg 6 Leg 7 Leg 8 Leg 9 Leg 10 Leg 11 Leg 12 Leg 13 Average Roadblock
1 Rob & Brennan 1 3 3 6 4 3 3 3 1 1 2 1 1 2.46 5-7
2 Frank & Margarita 3 4 2 4 5 1 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2.38 9-3
3 Joe & Bill 2 2 4 1 2 2 2 4 4 4 3 3 3 2.77 7-4
4 Kevin & Drew 9 5 1 2 1 4 4 1 3 3 4 3.36 5-5
5 Nancy & Emily 10 8 8 3 3 5 5 5 5 5.78 2-7
6 Lenny & Karyn 4 9 7 7 6 6 6 6.43 2-5
7 Paul & Amie 8 7 6 5 7 6.60 3-1
8 Dave & Margaretta 7 6 5 8 6.50 3-1
9 Pat & Brenda 5 1 9 5.00 2-0
10 Kim & Leslie 6 10 8.00 2-0
11 Matt & Ana 11 11.00 1-0
Notes [1][2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Legend:
     The team finished in first place
     The team finished in last place and was eliminated from the race
     The team finished in last place in a non-elimination leg or continue racing in a no-rest leg
     The team that won The Amazing Race
     The team that crossed the Finish Line second
     The team that crossed the Finish Line third
The team used the Fast Forward pass

Notes:
1: Leg 1 had an unaired Roadblock which required a member of the team to cook a whole ostrich egg for both team members to eat before heading to the Pit Stop. This Roadblock was only shown partially on DVD release as Pat & Brenda and Matt & Ana were not shown completing this task. Pat and Matt both later confirmed that they did the Roadblock for their respective teams.[8][9]
2: Dave & Margaretta were checked in at the Pit Stop in 7th place, but were issued an unspecified time penalty for improperly completing the Air Detour and started the next leg in 8th.
3: Dave & Margaretta were checked in at the Pit Stop in 6th place, but were issued an unspecified time penalty for improperly completing the Roadblock and started the next leg in 8th.
4: Paul & Amie arrived in 5th place at the Pit Stop but started the next leg in 4th after being given a time credit due to a production error.
5: Paul & Amie mistakenly arrived at the Pit Stop while searching for the Roadblock. However, since they were already in last place, they were eliminated without being penalized.
6: Frank & Margarita and Joe & Bill initially arrived 1st and 2nd respectively, but were both issued 30-minute penalties for not taking a train all the way to Castelfranco Emilia. This did not affect either team's placement.
7: Lenny & Karyn were granted a time credit for production difficulties. This did not affect their placement.
8: Nancy & Emily initially arrived 4th at the Pit Stop, but were issued a a 24-hour penalty for forfeiting the Private Detour. Joe & Bill, the only team trailing Nancy & Emily at that point, checked in during the penalty time and Nancy & Emily were eliminated before the 24 hours elapsed.
9: Joe & Bill had fallen so far behind that they were unable to complete the final leg. Upon receiving their clue at Takosha Lodge, they were informed that the Race had already finished.

Reception[]

Pre-Production[]

  • Zap2It (09/13/2000): "Bruckheimer, CBS join for new reality 'Race' "
  • Zap2It (07/24/2001): "Amazing Race Kicks Off CBS Fall Season"

Pre-Season Reviews[]

  • Gary Levin at USA Today (08/02/2001): "CBS trouts out Amazing Race"
  • Warren Berger at New York Times (09/02/2001): "A Long Trip, With Someone You Know"
  • John Levesque at Seattle P-I (09/03/2001): "Amazing Race has plenty of gumption"
  • Anita Gates at New York Times (09/05/2001): "Bungee Jumping to Save Minutes: It's Called Reality"
  • Rob Owen at Post-Gazette (09/05/2001): "TV Reviews: 'Lost' and 'Amazing Race' both leave starting line -- best bet on CBS's 'Race' "
  • John Carman at SF Gate (09/05/2001): "Reality TV thinks globally / Players roam the world"
  • Matt Roush at TV Guide Online (09/05/2001): "Two for the Road"
  • Andy Dehnart at realityblurred (09/05/2001): "Amazing Race debuts tonight"

Post-Season Reviews[]

  • Gary Levin at USA Today (12/13/2001): "Momentum carries Race to finish"
  • The Trades (12/25/2001): "Roundtable Discussion on The Amazing Race"
  • Andy Dehnart at realityblurred (09/05/2011): "The Amazing Race is 10 today"
  • Joe Reid at Decider (09/05/2015): "Today In TV History: The Amazing Race First Sent Americans Careening Around The World"

Trivia[]

Franchise[]

US[]

  • Host Phil Keoghan did not greet teams upon arrival at the Pit Stop other than the last placing team.
  • First season to have a team that made it to the final leg fail to finish the Race, as Joe & Bill were too far behind the other two teams that already made it to the Finish Line.
  • First season that the Finish Line was located in the contiguous United States.

External links[]

References[]

The Amazing Race Season Index
United States 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 · 21 · 22 · 23 · 24 · 25 · 26 · 27 · 28 · 29 · 30 · 31 · 32 · 33 · 34 · 35 · 36 · 37 · 38
Asia 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
Australia 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 ·
Brazil 1
Canada 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10
Central Europe Cancelled
China 1 · 2 · 3 · 4
China Rush 1 · 2 · 3
Finland 1 · 2 · 3
France 1
Israel 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8
Latin America 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6
Norway 1 · 2
Philippines 1 · 2
Ukraine 1
Vietnam 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6