This is an attempt at charting the history of penalties on the flagship, American version of The Amazing Race, from The Amazing Race 1 to The Amazing Race 37. International versions are not included because they sometimes deviate from the American version's rules, nor does this include the Marked for Elimination time penalty.
Penalties included on this list are either (1) time penalties; or (2) penalties wherein teams are turned away from a Route Marker/Pit Stop. The purpose of this is to try to make sense of what the exact rules are since the application of penalties across different seasons can sometimes be unclear and vary on a case-by-case basis.
Last updated 5/27/2025 following The Amazing Race 37.
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Clues[]
- A team that takes more than one clue from a Clue Box would incur a 30-minute penalty.
- 602 — Freddy & Kendra: Lost their clue after the Intersection and took an extra one from the Clue Box.
Production-provided Clothing and Equipment[]
Clothing[]
- If teams are required to wear production-provided attire for the duration of the leg, a team that attempts to check in at a Pit Stop without both members wearing the complete attire would be turned away and required to retrieve any missing article of clothing before being allowed to check in.
- 3402 — Rich & Dom: Attempted to check in while missing Dom's hat.
Tampering with Equipment[]
- A team that tampers with production-provided equipment meant for other teams would incur a 30-minute penalty.
- 1407 — Mark & Michael: Tampered with the bike pumps meant for other teams at the 2 Miles Detour.
Losing Equipment[]
- A team that loses production-provided equipment for a task would incur a 15-minute penalty.
- 1601 — Dan & Jordan: Lost a paintbrush for an Active Route Info task.
- A team that willingly abandons production-provided equipment that would later be necessary for completing a Route Info task would incur a 2-hour penalty upon arrival at the location of the task in lieu of completing it.
- 2605 — Bergen & Kurt: Abandoned their vehicle needed for an Active Route Info task.
Personal Belongings[]
Bags[]
- A team that attempts to check in at a Pit Stop without their bags would be turned away and required to retrieve them before being allowed to check in.
- 1707 — Chad & Stephanie: Left their bags in their taxi, which they were also required to pay.
- A team that mistakenly takes another team's personal belongings and does not properly return it would incur a 30-minute penalty.
- 1803 — Flight Time & Big Easy: Mistakenly took Ron & Christina's fanny pack and did not properly return it.
Bartering with Personal Belongings[]
- A team that barters with their personal belongings to make any Race-related payments would incur a 2-hour penalty.
- 1408 — Mark & Michael: Bartered to pay for a taxi from the Detour decision point to the task location during the Broken Record Detour.
- 1408 — Mark & Michael: Bartered to pay for a taxi from the Detour to the Pit Stop.
Payment[]
- A team that attempts to check in at a Pit Stop without having made a Race-related payment would be turned away and required to make the payment before being allowed to check in.
- 1707 — Chad & Stephanie: Failed to pay their their taxi, from which they were also required to retrieve their bags.
- 1906 — Justin & Jennifer: Failed to pay their their truck.
- 1906 — Bill & Cathi: Failed to pay their their truck.
- 2302 — Leo & Jamal: Failed to pay their their taxi.
Camera and Sound Crew[]
- A team that is separated from their camera and sound crew would be held by production at the next Route Marker until their crew arrives or for an appropriate time that production deems is sufficient.
- 3609 — Angie & Danny: Separated from their crew between Rihanna's Childhood Home and the Detour. Held by production for around 45 minutes before being allowed to proceed with an available crew
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Self-Driving[]
Production-provided Vehicles[]
- A team that mistakenly takes another other team's production-provided vehicle would incur a 30-minute penalty, which would be applied at the start of the next leg.
- 602 — Don & Mary Jean: Mistakenly drove off with Adam & Rebecca's car after the Roadblock before returning it.
Speeding[]
Caught by Local Law Enforcement[]
- A team that is caught speeding by local law enforcement would incur a penalty of 30-minutes plus time gained, which would be applied at the start of the next leg. NOTE: I'm not exactly sure on the plus time gained part, but this makes the most sense and is most consistent with penalties in the American version, as opposed to the formula used to determine the exact time penalty seen in The Amazing Race Asia 1.
- 204 — Gary & Dave: Received a 42-minute penalty after being caught speeding between two unspecified points.
- 204 — Chris & Alex: Received a 42-minute penalty after being caught speeding between two unspecified points.
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 13, a team that is caught speeding by local law enforcement would incur a 30-minute penalty, which would be applied at the start of the next leg.
- 1304 — Nick & Starr: Caught speeding between two unspecified points.
- 1305 — Terence & Sarah: Caught speeding between the Pit Start and the airport.
- 2207 —
Caroline & Jennifer: Caught speeding between the Pit Start and the Roadblock. The penalty was not applied because it was superseded by local Botswanan law that required them to pay their speeding ticket before they could continue racing. - 2207 —
Max & Katie: Caught speeding between the Pit Start and the Roadblock. The penalty was not applied because it was superseded by local Botswanan law that required them to pay their speeding ticket before they could continue racing.
Caught by Production[]
- A team that is caught speeding by production would incur a 10-minute penalty, which they must immediately serve before they could continue racing.
- 2908 — Becca & Floyd: Caught speeding through a construction zone.
Improper Transportation[]
- A team that takes a form of transportation other than what is specified in their clue would incur a penalty of 30-minutes plus time gained.
- 304 — Heather & Eve: Received a 37-minute penalty for taking a taxi from the Roadblock to the Pit Stop instead of making their way on foot, as specified in their clue.
- 411 — Recihen & Chip: Received a 35-minute penalty for driving from the Roadblock to the Pit Stop instead of making their way on foot, as specified in their clue.
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 13, a team that takes a form of transportation other than what is specified in their clue would be turned away, required to return to the previous Route Marker, and take the specified form of transportation to the next one.
- 1308 — Andrew & Dan: Took a taxi from the Detour to the Pit Stop instead of making their way on foot, as specified in their clue.
- 1310 — Toni & Dallas: Took the subway from the Roadblock to Sokolniki Park instead of taking a taxi, as specified in their clue.
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 16, a team that takes a form of transportation other than what is specified in their clue would incur a 30-minute penalty.
- 1601 — Brent & Caite: Made their way on foot downhill instead of taking the Ascensor Artillería, as specified in their clue.
- 1810 — Kent & Vyxsin: Took a taxi from the Roadblock to the Pit Stop instead of making their way on foot, as specified in their clue.
- 2301 — Nicole & Travis: Took a taxi from the second Roadblock to the Pit Stop instead of making their way on foot, as specified in their clue.
- 3708 — Melinda & Erika: Took a taxi from Lake Ariana to Russian Monument Square instead of making their way on foot or by bus, as specified in their clue. The penalty was ultimately not applied because they arrived last and were immediately eliminated.
- 3708 — Melinda & Erika: Took a taxi from Russian Monument Square to St. Kliment Ohridski Central Library instead of making their way on foot or by bus, as specified in their clue. The penalty was ultimately not applied because they arrived last and were immediately eliminated.
- 3708 — Melinda & Erika: Took a taxi from St. Kliment Ohridski Central Library to the Museum of Socialist Art instead of making their way on foot or by bus, as specified in their clue. The penalty was ultimately not applied because they arrived last and were immediately eliminated.
- 3708 — Melinda & Erika: Took a taxi from the Museum of Socialist Art to the Roadblock instead of making their way on foot or by bus, as specified in their clue. The penalty was ultimately not applied because they arrived last and were immediately eliminated.
Switching Forms of Transportation[]
- 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, which would be applied at the start of the next leg.
- 106 — Frank & Margarita: Did not take a train all the way to Castelfranco Emilia, as specified in their clue. They disembarked partway through then took a taxi.
- 106 — Joe & Bill: Did not take a train all the way to Castelfranco Emilia, as specified in their clue. They disembarked partway through then took a taxi.
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 9, 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 15-minute penalty.
- 907 — Ray & Yolanda: Did not take a train all the way to the Isthmos Train Station, as specified in their clue. They disembarked partway through then took a bus.
- 907 — BJ & Tyler: Did not take a train all the way to the Isthmos Train Station, as specified in their clue. They disembarked partway through then took a bus.
- 907 — Lake & Michelle: Did not take a train all the way to the Isthmos Train Station, as specified in their clue. They disembarked partway through then took a bus. NOTE: The penalty was ultimately not applied because they arrived last and were immediately eliminated. However, the penalty would have been applied had they attempted to check in while BJ & Tyler — the only other team yet to be checked-in — were still serving their penalty for the same infraction.
Embarking and Disembarking[]
Embarking[]
- A team that embarks at a location other than the one specified in their clue would incur a 30-minute penalty. In addition, if the location they embarked from was faster than what is specified in their clue, they would incur an additional time penalty to compensate for the time gained.
- 2711 — Justin & Diana: Received a 55-minute penalty for embarking on a ferry from Kowloon instead of Hong Kong Island, as specified in their clue. An additional 25 minutes was assessed to compensate for the shorter crossing time.
Disembarking[]
- A team that disembarks at a location other than the one specified in their clue would be turned away at the next Route Marker, required to return to the previous one, and disembark at the specified location.
- 2104 — Rob & Kelley: Disembarked from their boat directly at the Pit Stop instead of at Swarighat, as specified in their clue.
Safety[]
- A team that violates a safety provision in their clue by taking a prohibited form of transportation would incur a 30-minute penalty.
- 1003 — Tom & Terry: Traveled on motorcycles upon disembarking from the bus station in Phố Vác to the Detour location, which was explicitly prohibited for the duration of their time in Vietnam.
Hitchhiking[]
- A team that hitchhikes from one Route Marker to another would be turned away, required to return to the previous Route Marker, and take a legal form of transportation to the next one.
- 1206 — Nathan & Jennifer: Hitchhiked by riding a private vehicle from the Detour to the Pit Stop instead of taking a taxi, as specified in their clue.
[]
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 17, a team that hires a taxi to lead them from one point to another would incur a 30-minute penalty.
- 1708 — Jill & Thomas: Hired a taxi to lead them from Muttrah Souq to the Pit Stop.
- 2808 — Tyler & Korey: Hired a taxi to lead them between two unspecified points.
Production-provided Flights[]
- A team that fails to take a required flight provided by production would incur a 30-minute penalty.
- 1804 — Kent & Vyxsin: Failed to take a required flight from Tokyo to Kunming.
Travel Documents[]
- A team that attempts to check in at a Pit Stop without their travel documents would be turned away and required to retrieve them before being allowed to check in. NOTE: Toni & Dallas fell so far behind during the leg where they lost their travel documents in The Amazing Race 13 that they could not even attempt to check in at the Pit Stop, so it is unknown how production would have handled their case in that season.
- 1408 — Kisha & Jen: Left their travel documents at the Roadblock location.
- 1504 — Zev & Justin: Left their travel documents at the Roadblock location.
- 2903 — Becca & Floyd: Left their travel documents in a taxi.
- If they are unable to retrieve their travel documents before all other teams check in, that leg is a Non-Elimination Leg, and the next leg takes place in the same country, that team would be checked-in last. They would be allowed to continue racing and attempting to retrieve their travel documents until such a time that they would need to produce them for international travel.
- 2107 — James & Abba: Left their travel documents in a taxi. Allowed to continue racing until the end of the next leg because it took place entirely within Russia.
[]
Accidentally Skipped a Route Marker[]
- A team that accidentally skips a Route Marker would be turned away from the Pit Stop and told to complete any missed task.
- 311 — Derek & Drew: Accidentally skipped the Roadblock clue and arrived at the Pit Stop by chance.
- 501 — Chip & Kim: Accidentally skipped the Detour clue and arrived at the Chips Detour by chance.
- 501 — Kami & Karli: Accidentally skipped the Detour clue and arrived at the Chips Detour by chance.
- 610 — Adam & Rebecca: Did not swim the length of the pool at the Hotel Sigiriya before checking in to the Pit Stop. Hayden & Aaron and Freddy & Kendra also did not initially swim the length of the pool. Phil informed all three teams (who were engaged in a footrace) to do so before they initially stepped on the mat, but Adam & Rebecca were the only team to have both members step on the mat and attempt to check in before correcting their mistake.
- 707 — Meredith & Gretchen: Accidentally skipped the clue at the end of the Roadblock and arrived at the Pit Stop by chance.
- 1103 — Dustin & Kandice: Accidentally skipped the Detour clue and arrived at the River Wild Detour by chance.
- 1310 — Ken & Tina: Accidentally skipped the clue at VDNKh station and arrived at the Pit Stop by chance.
- 1501 — Mika & Canaan: Attempted to check in at the Pit Stop while not having a complete set of 20 tourists, as per the provisions of the Route Info task. Phil directed them to find the missing tourist before they could be checked-in.
- 1605 — Brent & Caite: Accidentally skipped the U-Turn and arrived at the Active Route Info task by chance.
- 1606 — Brent & Caite: Accidentally skipped the Detour clue and arrived at the Pit Stop by chance.
- 1607 — Jet & Cord: Accidentally skipped the clue at the end of the Roadblock and arrived at the Pit Stop by chance.
- 1902 — Ernie & Cindy: Failed to donate all their money to the 'Aisyiyah Orphanage, as per the provisions of the task.
- 1902 — Liz & Marie: Failed to donate all their money to the 'Aisyiyah Orphanage, as per the provisions of the task.
- 1902 — Bill & Cathi: Failed to donate all their money to the 'Aisyiyah Orphanage, as per the provisions of the task.
- 1902 — Jeremy & Sandy: Failed to donate all their money to the 'Aisyiyah Orphanage, as per the provisions of the task.
- 1902 — Justin & Jennifer: Failed to donate all their money to the 'Aisyiyah Orphanage, as per the provisions of the task.
- 1902 — Amani & Marcus: Failed to donate all their money to the 'Aisyiyah Orphanage, as per the provisions of the task.
- 1902 — Ethan & Jenna: Failed to donate all their money to the 'Aisyiyah Orphanage, as per the provisions of the task.
- 1902 — Ron & Bill: Failed to donate all their money to the 'Aisyiyah Orphanage, as per the provisions of the task.
- 2012 — Rachel & Dave: Accidentally skipped the second Roadblock clue and arrived at the Finish Line by chance.
- 2103 — Caitlin & Brittany: Accidentally skipped the U-Turn and arrived at the Pit Stop by chance.
- 3308 — Lulu & Lala: Accidentally skipped the clue at Mamo's Kantina Stand and arrived at the Pit Stop by chance.
Completed Task with a Prohibited Action[]
- A team that completes an action during a task that violates any provision explicitly prohibited in their clue would incur a 1-hour penalty.
- 312 — Teri & Ian: Received outside assistance during the Basket Bikes Detour, which was explicitly prohibited in their clue.
- 312 — Ken & Gerard: Received outside assistance during the Basket Bikes Detour, which was explicitly prohibited in their clue.
- 312 — Flo & Zach: Received outside assistance during the Basket Boats Detour, which was explicitly prohibited in their clue.
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 14, a team that completes an action during a task that violates any provision explicitly prohibited in their clue would incur a 30-minute penalty.
- 1407 — Mark & Michael: Hired a taxi to guide them during the 2 Miles Detour, which was explicitly prohibited in their clue.
- 1511 — Brian & Ericka: Brian wrote down the letters during the Roadblock before entering the supervisor's office, which was explicitly prohibited in their clue.
- 1707 — Michael & Kevin: Hired a taxi to lead from Bank Bridge to 1 Vladimirsky Prospekt Tower, which was explicitly prohibited in their clue.
- 1707 — Michael & Kevin: Took a taxi from 1 Vladimirsky Prospekt Tower to the Church of the Savior on Blood, which was explicitly prohibited in their clue.
- 1707 — Chad & Stephanie: Took a taxi from 1 Vladimirsky Prospekt Tower to the Church of the Savior on Blood, which was explicitly prohibited in their clue.
- 1708 — Gary & Mallory: Possessed and used maps while navigating around Oman, which was explicitly prohibited in their clue. The penalty was ultimately not applied because they arrived last and were immediately eliminated.
Active Route Info[]
Improper Completion[]
- A team that improperly completes an Active Route Info task would incur a 30-minute penalty.
- 2208 — Chuck & Wynona: Rolled their cheese wheels downhill instead of using a sled, as specified in their clue.
Quitting[]
- A team that quits an Active Route Info task would incur a 2-hour penalty.
- 1501 — Maria & Tiffany: Quit the Active Route Info task because they did not have a complete set of 20 tourists and chose not to find the missing tourists, as per the provisions of the task.
- 1506 — Mika & Canaan: Quit the Active Route Info task after Mika refused to go down the Leap of Faith waterslide. The penalty was ultimately not applied because they arrived last and were immediately eliminated.
- 1701 — Ron & Tony: Quit the Active Route Info task. The penalty was ultimately not applied because they arrived last and were immediately eliminated.
- 3211 — DeAngelo & Gary: Quit the Active Route Info task after seeing the other teams work against them.
- 3411 — Aubrey & David: Quit the Active Route Info task due to difficulty with swimming and exhaustion.
Detour[]
Improper Transportation[]
- A team that takes a form of transportation from the Detour decision point to the task location other than what is specified in their clue would incur a 30-minute penalty.
- 1303 — Mark & Bill: Took a taxi during the Bumpy Ride Detour instead of making their way on foot, as specified in their clue.
- 1507 — Brian & Ericka: Made their way on foot during the Farmer's Dance Detour instead of riding on bicycles, as specified in their clue.
- 1711 — Brook & Claire: Took a taxi during the Full Throttle Detour instead taking the subway or making their way on foot, as specified in their clue.
Improper Completion[]
- A team that improperly completes a Detour would incur a time penalty of unspecified length, which would be applied at the start of the next leg.
- 101 — Dave & Margaretta: Improperly completed the Air Detour. Their exact infraction was unspecified.
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 3, the rule is now clarified to be that a team that improperly completes a Detour would incur a penalty of 30-minutes plus time gained, which would be applied at the start of the next leg.
- 301 — Andre & Damon: Received a 78-minute penalty for not completely following the marked course during the Wheels Detour.
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 19, a team that improperly completes a Detour would incur a 15-minute penalty.
- 1903 — Laurence & Zac: Used more than the allowed number of buckets during the Grass Fed Detour.
Hours of Operation[]
- A team that is unable to complete a Detour due to hours of operation would incur a 4-hour penalty.
- 2107 — Josh & Brent: Unable to complete the Synchronized Detour before the location closed.
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 29, a team that is unable to complete a Detour due to hours of operation would now incur a 2-hour penalty.
- 2901 — Kevin & Jenn: Unable to complete the Scoot Detour before the location closed.
Quitting[]
- A team that fails to complete either side of a Detour would incur a 24-hour penalty.
- 109 — Nancy & Emily: Quit the Private Detour. NOTE: This was the first instance a time penalty was applied before a team was officially checked-in because it affected which team would be eliminated. Prior to this, all time penalties were only applied at the start of the next leg.
- 1507 — Maria & Tiffany: Quit the Farmer's Game Detour.
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 17, a team that fails to complete either side of a Detour would now incur a 6-hour penalty.
- 1710 — Nick & Vicki: Quit the Sampan Detour.
Roadblock[]
Participation[]
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 27, a team whose non-participating team member offers their partner verbal assistance would incur a 30-minute penalty.
- 2703 — Denise & James Earl: Denise offered James Earl verbal assistance.
- 3001 — Cedric & Shawn: Cedric offered Shawn verbal assistance. They tried to appeal this penalty by arguing that Shawn did not hear Cedric, but this was ruled to be immaterial as Cedric still gave verbal assistance regardless.
Improper Completion[]
- A team that improperly completes a Roadblock would incur a time penalty of unspecified length, which would be applied at the start of the next leg.
- 102 — Dave & Margaretta: Dave improperly completed the task. Both team members went up to the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower before finding the Roadblock clue, with Dave electing to perform the task but not going back up to the observation deck. However, as Phil explained at the start of the next episode, Dave should have gone back up to the observation deck on his own to complete the requirements of the task.
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 7, a team that improperly completes a Roadblock would be turned away from the Pit Stop and required to properly complete the task before being allowed to check in.
- 707 — Uchenna & Joyce: Uchenna improperly completed the task by failing to take a marked post at the start of his lane that signified that he had officially claimed that lane.
- Beginning with The Amazing Race 28, a team that improperly completes a Roadblock would incur a time penalty of unspecified length.
- 2803 — Sheri & Cole: Cole improperly completed the task by taking two mochillas instead of one from the vendor's stand.
NOTE: I'm not sure if this is one of those situational rules where production decides what penalty is more apt for the situation. In all three instances, the Roadblock was the last task before the Pit Stop, so it would have been easy to send teams back to the Roadblock location. Dave and Uchenna's mistakes were easy to physically correct, while Cole's mistake was harder to correct other than by making him do the entire task again with only one mochilla. However, Cole's mistake could have also inconvenienced both production and other teams if there were only enough mochillas for each team to get one set.
Quitting[]
- A team that quits a Roadblock or fails to complete it due to hours of operation would incur a 4-hour penalty.
- 612 — Hayden & Aaron: Hayden officially declared her intention to quit the Roadblock minutes before the location was closed due to hours of operation. NOTE: It is unknown if the hours of operation clause applied explicitly to this task or if this was the general rule for all instances of being unable to complete a Roadblock due to hours of operation at the time.
- 1002 — Kellie & Jamie: Kellie officially declared her intention to quit the Roadblock when they were already in last place, thus the penalty was ultimately not applied and they were directed to the nearby Pit Stop to be eliminated.
- 2201 — Max & Katie: Katie officially declared her intention to quit the second Roadblock alongside Daniel and Jennifer when they were the last three teams. All three teams immediately raced to the Pit Stop, with the penalty being applied at the start of the next leg.
- 2201 — Caroline & Jennifer: Jennifer officially declared her intention to quit the second Roadblock alongside Daniel and Katie when they were the last three teams. All three teams immediately raced to the Pit Stop, with the penalty being applied at the start of the next leg.
- 2201 — Matt & Daniel: Daniel officially declared his intention to quit the second Roadblock alongside Jennifer and Katie when they were the last three teams. All three teams immediately raced to the Pit Stop. The penalty was ultimately not applied because Matt & Daniel were checked-in last and immediately eliminated.
- 2501 — Keith & Whitney: Keith officially declared his intention to quit the Roadblock alongside Lisa and Scott when they were the last three teams. All three teams immediately raced to the Pit Stop, with the penalty being applied at the start of the next leg.
- 2501 — Michael & Scott: Scott officially declared his intention to quit the Roadblock alongside Keith and Lisa when they were the last three teams. All three teams immediately raced to the Pit Stop, with the penalty being applied at the start of the next leg.
- 2501 — Lisa & Michelle: Lisa officially declared her intention to quit the Roadblock alongside Keith and Scott when they were the last three teams. All three teams immediately raced to the Pit Stop. The penalty was ultimately not applied because Lisa & Michelle were checked-in last and immediately eliminated.
- If a team quits a Roadblock and takes the standard 4-hour penalty but is not forced to leave the Roadblock location due to hours of operation, that team would serve their penalty on-site starting from the arrival of the next team.
- 703 — Rob & Amber: Rob officially declared his intention to quit the Roadblock, with the penalty starting at the time the next team, Ray & Deana, arrived at the location.
- 703 — Ray & Deana: Deana officially declared her intention to quit the Roadblock, with the penalty starting at the time the next team, Susan & Patrick, arrived at the location.
- 703 — Meredith & Gretchen: Meredith officially declared his intention to quit the Roadblock, with the penalty starting at the time the next team, Susan & Patrick, arrived at the location.
- 3101 — Art & JJ: Art officially declared his intention to quit the Roadblock, with the penalty starting at the time the next team, Rupert & Laura, arrived at the location.
- If a team quits a Roadblock and takes the standard 4-hour penalty but is not forced to leave the Roadblock location due to hours of operation and all teams have arrived at the location, that team would serve their penalty on-site immediately.
- 1511 — Flight Time & Big Easy: Big Easy officially declared his intention to quit the Roadblock after all teams had already arrived at the location.