The Amazing Race 1 6 Leg 1: Livingstone, Zambia Leg 1: Grindavik, Iceland Leg 2: , Leg 2: Voss, Leg 3: Les Baux-de-Provence, France Leg 3: , Leg 4: El Jem, Tunisia Leg 4: Goree, Senegal Leg 5: Guermessa, Tunisia Leg 5: , Leg 6: Sant'Agata Bolognese, Leg 6: Eger, Leg 7: Agra, Leg 7: , Hungary Leg 8: Bikaner, India Leg 8: L'Ile Rousse, France Leg 9: Krabi, Thailand Leg 9: Lalibela, Ethiopia Leg 10: Ao Nang, Thailand Leg 10: Sigiriya, Leg 11: , Leg 11: , China Leg 12: Denali, Leg 12: Xi'an, China Leg 13: , New York Leg 13: Chicago, Illinois (via ) The Amazing Race 2 The Amazing Race 7 Leg 1: , Leg 1: Cusco, Peru Leg 2: Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil Leg 2: Santiago, Chile Leg 3: Stellenbosch, South Africa Leg 3: Mendoza, Argentina Leg 4: Windhoek, Namibia Leg 4: Vicente Cesares, Argentina Leg 5: Amphawa, Thailand Leg 5: Soweto, South Africa Leg 6: Chiang Mai, Thailand Leg 6: Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana Leg 7: Hong Kong, China Leg 7: Khwai, Botswana Leg 8: , Leg 8: Lucknow, India Leg 9: Coober Pedy, Australia Leg 9: Jodhpur, India Leg 10: Mt. Somers, Leg 10: Istanbul, Turkey Leg 11: Auckland, New Zealand Leg 11: , Leg 12: Maui, Hawaii Leg 12: Montego Bay, Leg 13: , (via Alaska) Leg 13: , (via Puerto Rico) The Amazing Race 3 The Amazing Race 8 Leg 1: Puente D'Ixtla, Leg 1: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Leg 2: Tulum, Mexico Leg 2: Middleburg, Virginia Leg 3: Stonehaven, Leg 3: Huntsville, Alabama Leg 4: Lisbon, Portugal Leg 4: New Orleans, Louisiana Leg 5: Fez, Leg 5: Panama City, Panama Leg 6: Marrakech, Morocco Leg 6: Quepos, Costa Rica Leg 7: Fussen, Germany Leg 7: Phoenix, Arizona Leg 8: Grindelwald, Leg 8: Lake Powell, Arizona Leg 9: Montreux, Switzerland Leg 9: Salt Lake City, Utah Leg 10: Leg 10: Moran, Wyoming Leg 11: Ho Chi Minh City, Leg 11: Absarokee, Montana Leg 12: Da Nang, Vietnam Leg 12: Montreal, Leg 13: Seattle, Washington (via Hawaii) Leg 13: Lewiston, New York (via Toronto) The Amazing Race 4 The Amazing Race 9 Leg 1: Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy Leg 1: São Paulo, Brazil Leg 2: Venice, Italy Leg 2: Brotas, Brazil Leg 3: Gmunden, Leg 3: Moscow, Russia Leg 4: St. Remy-de-Provence, France Leg 4: Munich, Germany Leg 5: Muiden, Netherlands Leg 5: Segesta, Italy Leg 6: Mumbai, India Leg 6: Siracusa, Italy Leg 7: Alleppey, India Leg 7: Rio, Greece Leg 8: , Leg 8: Jabrin, Leg 9: Sepilok, Malaysia Leg 9: Fremantle, Australia Leg 10: Seoul, South Korea Leg 10: Lake Bennett, Australia Leg 11: Mooloolaba, Australia Leg 11: Bangkok, Thailand Leg 12: Cairns, Australia Leg 12: Lake Yamanaka, Leg 13: Phoenix, Arizona (via Hawaii) Leg 13: Denver, Colorado (via Alaska) The Amazing Race 5 The Amazing Race 10 Leg 1: Punta Ballena, Uruguay Leg 1: Juyongguan, China Leg 2: San Antonio de Areco, Argentina Leg 2: Gaachurt, Mongolia Leg 3: Bahia Lopez, Argentina Leg 3: Vác, Vietnam Leg 4: Pushkin, Russia Leg 4: Ha Long, Vietnam Leg 5: Giza, Egypt Leg 5: Chennai, India Leg 6: Luxor, Egypt Leg 6: Kuwait City, Kuwait Leg 7: Lake Manyara, Tanzania Leg 7: Bel Ombre, Mauritius Leg 8: Umm al-Quwain, Leg 8: Antananarivo, Madagascar Leg 9: , India Leg 9: Helsinki, Finland Leg 10: Paengaroa, New Zealand Leg 10: Kiev, Leg 11: , Leg 11: , Morocco Leg 12: El Nido, Philippines Leg 12: Barcelona, Leg 13: Dallas, Texas (via Canada) Leg 13: Garrison, New York (via France) The Amazing Race 1 Leg 4: Te Puke, New Zealand Leg 1: , Malaysia Leg 5: Siam Reap, Cambodia Leg 2: Jakarta, Leg 6: , India Leg 3: Tanah Lot, Indonesia Leg 7: Delhi, India Leg 4: Sydney, Australia Leg 8: Almaty, Kazakhstan Leg 5: Auckland, New Zealand Leg 9: Moscow, Russia Leg 6: Queenstown, New Zealand Leg 10: Moscow, Russia Leg 7: Bangkok, Thailand Leg 11: Portland, Oregon Leg 8: Krabi, Thailand The Amazing Race 14 Leg 9: Kolkata, India Leg 1: Stechelberg, Switzerland Leg 10: Delhi, India Leg 2: , Austria Leg 11: Umm al-Quwain, United Arab Emirates Leg 3: Brasov, Romania Leg 12: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Leg 4: Krasnoyarsk, Russia Leg 13: Kucing, Malaysia Leg 5: Novosibirsk, Russia The Amazing Race 11 Leg 6: Jaipur, India Leg 1: Cotopaxi, Ecuador Leg 7: Phuket, Thailand Leg 2: Valle de la Muerte, Chile Leg 8: Bangkok, Thailand Leg 3: Petrohue, Chile Leg 9: Guilin, China Leg 4: Ushuaia, Argentina Leg 10: Beijing, China Leg 5: Maputo, Mozambique Leg 11: Beijing, China Leg 6: Stone Town, Tanzania Leg 12: Maui, Hawaii Leg 7: Warsaw, Poland The Amazing Race 15 Leg 8: Skala, Poland Leg 1: , Japan Leg 9: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Leg 2: Cai Be, Vietnam Leg 10: Hong Kong, China Leg 3: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Leg 11: Macau, China Leg 4: , Cambodia Leg 12: Soledad, Guam Leg 5: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Leg 13: San Francisco, California (via Hawaii) Leg 6: Dubai, United Arab Emirates The Amazing Race 12 Leg 7: Zoutkamp, Netherlands Leg 1: Clifden, Ireland Leg 8: Vasby, Sweden Leg 2: Durgerdam, Netherlands Leg 9: Keava, Estonia Leg 3: Boulkiemdu, Burkina Faso Leg 10: , Czech Republic Leg 4: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Leg 11: Prague, Czech Republic Leg 5: Rumsiskes, Lithuania Leg 12: , Leg 6: Dubrovnik, Croatia The Amazing Race 16 Leg 7: Florence, Italy Leg 1: Valparaiso, Chile Leg 8: Mumbai, India Leg 2: Puerto Varas, Chile Leg 9: Osaka, Japan Leg 3: San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina Leg 10: Taipei, Taiwan Leg 4: Hamburg, Germany Leg 11: Anchorage, Alaska Leg 5: Wargemoulin-Hurlus, France The Amazing Race Asia 2 Leg 6: Epernay, France Leg 1: Manila, Philippines Leg 7: Praslin, Seychelles Leg 2: Manila, Philippines Leg 8: George Town, Malaysia Leg 3: Auckland, New Zealand Leg 9: Singapore Leg 4: Rotorua, New Zealand Leg 10: Shanghai, China Leg 5: Tokyo, Japan Leg 11: Shanghai, China Leg 6: Busan, South Korea Leg 12: San Francisco, California Leg 7: Seoul, South Korea The Amazing Race: China Rush 1 Leg 8: Karlstejn, Czech Republic Leg 1: Ningbo, Zhejiang Leg 9: Prague, Czech Republic Leg 2: Wuxi, Jiangsu Leg 10: Visegrad, Hungary Leg 3: Changzhou, Jiangsu Leg 11: Budapest, Hungary Leg 4: Yangzhou, Jiangsu Leg 12: Aguila Park, South Africa Leg 5: Great Wall, Beijing Leg 13: Singapore Leg 6: Tai'an, Shandong The Amazing Race Asia 3 Leg 7: Qingdao, Shandong Leg 1: Chiang Mai, Thailand Leg 8: Chengdu, Sichuan Leg 2: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Leg 9: Dujiangyan, Sichuan Leg 3: Hue, Vietnam Leg 10: Tengchong, Yunnan Leg 4: Taipei, Taiwan Leg 11: Zhaoqing, Guangdong Leg 5: Taipei, Taiwan Leg 12: Shanghai Leg 6: Hong Kong, China The Amazing Race Asia 4 Leg 7: Macau, China Leg 1: George Town, Malaysia Leg 8: Cochin, India Leg 2: Kampung , Malaysia Leg 9: Pune, India Leg 3: , Sri Lanka Leg 10: Wadi Tanuf, Oman Leg 4: Kalutara, Sri Lanka Leg 11: Phuket, Thailand Leg 5: Legazpi, Philippines The Amazing Race 13 Leg 6: Queenstown, New Zealand Leg 1: Fortaleza, Brazil Leg 7: Sydney, Australia Leg 2: Salvador, Brazil Leg 8: Brisbane, Australia Leg 3: La Paz, Bolivia Leg 9: Gili Trawangan, Indonesia Leg 10: Gyeongju, South Korea Leg 6: St. Petersburg, Russia Leg 11: Singapore Leg 7: St. Petersburg, Russia The Amazing Race 17 Leg 8: Muscat, Oman Leg 1: Ledbury, England Leg 9: Dhaka, Bangladesh Leg 2: Accra, Ghana Leg 10: Hong Kong, China Leg 3: Doryumu, Ghana Leg 11: Seoul, South Korea Leg 4: Riksgränsen, Sweden Leg 12: , California Leg 5: Narvik, Norway The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 1: Ledbury, England

Day 1: Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

From Castle Hill in Ipswich, Massachusetts, Phil introduces us to the eleven teams, who are travelling in one of six lobster boats to the starting line at the Eastern Point Yacht Club in Gloucester, Massachusetts. In order of introduction, they are:

A. Brook & Claire, coworkers B. Chad & Stephanie, dating couple C. Katie & Rachel, friends D. Connor & Jonathan, friends E. Nat & Kat, best friends F. Michael & Kevin, father and son G. Nick & Vicki, dating couple H. Ron & Tony, best friends I. Jill & Thomas, dating couple (from the same LA suburb as the production company making this show) J. Gary & Mallory, father and daughter K. Andie & Jenna, mother and daughter

At the starting line, Phil provides this season's introductory spiel:

“Welcome everyone. [cheering and clapping] In just a few minutes, you will begin the adventure of your lives. You better be ready, because this is going to be one of the most gruelling races ever. At the end of each leg of the race, there is a Pit Stop. Eight of these Pit Stops are elimination points, so as always, you need to race as fast as you can because, if you're last, you'll be eliminated. Everybody understands that, right? [nodding] Now I suggest you listen very carefully because there is a new element in this race that will be a real game-changer. As you know, the first team to check in to the Pit Stop receives a prize. Well, at the end of this first leg, if your team checks in first, you will receive the most important prize that we have ever given away. It's called the Express Pass. Here's how it works. If your team wins the Express Pass, you can use it at any time before or during a challenge that you don't want to complete. All you have to do is just hand over the Express Pass, skip the task, get your next clue, and move on. And if you use it at the right time, it could mean the difference between staying in the race or going home. And if I was you, I would race like crazy to get it. By the way, there's another reason why you need to be bringing your A- game to the start of the race. Even though there are two flights waiting for you guys at Logan , the flight that leaves first only has room for three teams and is scheduled to arrive thirty minutes earlier. Now, your first clue is waiting inside the envelope on top of the luggage you brought with you. When I give you the word, you can run over to your bags, read the clue, jump into one of the waiting cars, and make your way to the airport. As always, the first team to cross the finish line at the end of twelve legs will win one million dollars. [clapping] Is everybody ready? [cheering] The world is waiting for you. [eyebrow pop] Good luck. Travel safe. Go!”

The teams run across the lawn to their bags and read the first clue, which directs them to drive a waiting Smart Car (lined up in a queue) to Logan International Airport in Boston, fly from there to London, England, find the marked rank of cars at Heathrow, and drive themselves to Stonehenge. They are given US$100 for this first leg of the season.

The credits introduce teams in a different order than Phil's introduction, namely: A. Nick & Vicki B. Nat & Kat C. Connor & Jonathan D. Jill & Thomas E. Andie & Jenna F. Gary & Mallory G. Ron & Tony H. Brook & Claire I. Chad & Stephanie J. Michael & Kevin K. Katie & Rachel

Teams drive themselves 60 kilometres (37.5 miles) to Logan Airport and gain tickets on the two available flights as follows (teams listed in alphabetical order):

Flight #1 (American Airlines flight AA108, departs 19:15, arrives 07:00): 1=. Chad & Stephanie, Jill & Thomas, and Ron & Tony Flight #2 (Virgin Atlantic flight VS012, departs 19:45, arrives 07:26): 4=. Andie & Jenna, Brook & Claire, Connor & Jonathan, Gary & Mallory, Katie & Rachel, Michael & Kevin, Nat & Kat, and Nick & Vicki

Day 2: Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Landing at Heathrow International Airport, teams find their marked cars and drive 116 kilometres (72.5 miles) to Amesbury to find Stonehenge, arriving at the roadside attraction: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Katie & Rachel 4. Brook & Claire 5. Gary & Mallory 6. Connor & Jonathan 7. Andie & Jenna 8. Chad & Stephanie 9. Nick & Vicki 10. Michael & Kevin 11. Ron & Tony

Teams are told to “find the castle that is the opposite of nor'easter”. They must work out for themselves that the misleading clue (which if taken literally would point to a castle named Sou'wester) is telling them to drive 142 kilometres (88.75 miles) to Eastnor Castle, two miles outside of Ledbury, Herefordshire (which is one of four English shires sharing land borders with ). They reach it: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Nat & Kat 3. Brook & Claire 4. Chad & Stephanie 5. Katie & Rachel 6. Connor & Jonathan 7. Michael & Kevin 8. Gary & Mallory 9. Andie & Jenna 10. Nick & Vicki 11. Ron & Tony

They are told to “storm the castle”. To do so, they must put on provided safety gear and climb a ladder to the castle's battlements to retrieve a “medieval flag” as a “mob” of “peasants” who are “guarding” the castle pour “water” on the teams. Once they have the “flag”, they must get to the edge of the “moat” (Phil's wording, though it's shown teams were told to find a nearby lake shore), find an “ancient boat” (specifically, a coracle), and use a rope to pull it across the “moat” while they are in it. If they fall out of the boat, or if the boat sinks, they must start again. Once they reach the other side of the “moat”, a “knight” in “shining armour” will give them the next clue. (Whee! Inaccurate cultural stereotypes are fun!)

Teams find their flag, some having trouble understanding what battlements are: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Nat & Kat 4. Chad & Stephanie 5. Katie & Rachel 6. Connor & Jonathan 7. Michael & Kevin 8. Gary & Mallory 9. Andie & Jenna 10. Nick & Vicki 11. Ron & Tony

And cross the moat, most teams quickly sinking: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Brook & Claire 3. Nat & Kat 4. Katie & Rachel 5. Connor & Jonathan 6. Chad & Stephanie 7. Gary & Mallory 8. Michael & Kevin 9. Andie & Jenna 10. Nick & Vicki 11. Ron & Tony, who were forced to give up on the boat and swim across

The knight gives the teams their first Road Block, which asks the question, “Who's ready to go into battle with a knight in shining armour?”. For this task, the chosen team member must tandem ride a with an armoured knight to the “tournament field” (ostensibly for added “local flavour”, but actually to keep them out of the way of flying projectiles, though the non-participating member travels another unshown way), then use a medieval-style catapult called a ballista (from which the ammunition-describing adjective ballistic is derived) to hit a suit of amour set up fifty feet away. Once they do so, they must find the “court jester” (a man juggling whilst standing on a large solid ball), who will give them their next clue. This is fairly clearly an attempt to repeat a catapult task nobody completed as a Detour in The Amazing Race 6's visit to Hungary, in much the same way as producers have openly stated the duck herding task from The Amazing Race 15 was to repeat an unchosen Detour option from The Amazing Race 5. In any event, the chosen team members complete the task: 1. Thomas [Jill 0, Thomas 1] 2. Nat [Nat 1, Kat 0] 3. Claire, who goes viral [Brook 0, Claire 1] 4. Connor [Connor 1, Jonathan 1] 5. Rachel [Katie 0, Rachel 1] 6. Chad [Chad 1, Stephanie 0] 7. Gary [Gary 1, Mallory 0] 8. Kevin [Michael 0, Kevin 1] 9. Jenna [Andie 0, Jenna 1] 10. Nick [Nick 1, Vicki 0] 11. Ron, who is not shown performing the task in the episode [Ron 1, Tony 0]

The final clue of the leg tells teams to search the grounds of Eastnor Castle for the Pit Stop. Fairly easy, considering that (1) it's less than 300 yards away and visible from the RoadBlock, and (2) teams have already explored most of the castle during the course of spending half the (extended) episode there. More difficult is explaining why there is a Eureka flag (five white stars in a plus-sign arrangement on a blue background, with thick white lines joining them) flying when Chad & Stephanie finish the RoadBlock, given that it was created in Australia in the gold rushes of the 1850s (and in recent years has been mooted as a possible replacement for the Australian national flag). Teams check in: 1. Jill & Thomas, who win the Express Pass, and learn that it can only be used during the first eight legs 2. Nat & Kat 3. Connor & Jonathan 4. Brook & Claire 5. Katie & Rachel 6. Gary & Mallory 7. Michael & Kevin 8. Chad & Stephanie 9. Andie & Jenna 10. Nick & Vicki 11. Ron & Tony, who are eliminated

Phil and the greeter, who sadly does not say “Ni”:

The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 2: Accra, Ghana

Day 3: Friday, May 28th, 2010

After a Pit Stop lasting approximately 22 hours (Heathrow to Stonehenge to Eastnor is about 3 hours 20 minutes driving time without traffic, and between rush hour and teams getting it probably took closer to five, plus the tasks at Eastnor), teams depart from Ledbury Castle having stayed there overnight (though the mat has been moved to a more overgrown meadow with the castle conveniently in the background): 11:55 – Jill & Thomas 12:00 – Nat & Kat [+5 min] 12:20 – Connor & Jonathan [+25 min] 12:21 – Brook & Claire [+26 min] 12:22 – Katie & Rachel [+27 min] 12:40 – Gary & Mallory [+45 min] 12:41 – Michael & Kevin [+46 min] 12:50 – Chad & Stephanie [+55 min] 13:35 – Andie & Jenna [+100 min] 13:45 – Nick & Vicki [+110 min]

Teams are told to fly over 4960 kilometres (3100 miles) to the city of Accra. They are not told that Accra is the capital city of Ghana (because expecting What Country Is That City In? to be challenging just because it's an African city is not offensive at ALL). When they land, they must travel eight kilometres (five miles) to Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park to find the next clue. Though Phil does not mention it, the clue is found on the edge of the largest man-made pool in sub-Saharan west Africa. Teams receive US$137 for this second leg of the race.

Teams drive back to Heathrow in London (though it would have been quicker, easier, and cheaper to drive to any of Bristol, Birmingham, and Cardiff and take a connecting flight), and all ten teams take the same Virgin Atlantic flight, VS657, departing at 22:54 and arriving in Accra at 04:55 the next morning.

Day 4: Saturday, May 29th, 2010

Apparently facing some communal issues getting through the airport (it's already light when teams leave), teams rush for taxis, and reach the park cluebox: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Nick & Vicki 3. Chad & Stephanie 4. Katie & Rachel 5. Michael & Kevin 6. Jill & Thomas 7. Nat & Kat 8. Connor & Jonathan 9. Gary & Mallory 10. Andie & Jenna

The next clue tells teams to travel one kilometre (0.625 miles) to the main entrance of Makola Market, where they will find their next clue across the road. Teams arrive: 1. Nick & Vicki 2. Brook & Claire 3. Jill & Thomas 4. Chad & Stephanie 5. Katie & Rachel 6. Michael & Kevin 7. Nat & Kat 8. Connor & Jonathan 9. Andie & Jenna 10. Gary & Mallory

This next clue is a Road Block which asks, “Who thinks they can handle some shady dealings?”. In this task, the selected member of each team must enter the market and compete against local vendors and each other to sell sunglasses, one of the most common accessories on the streets of Accra. They must sell enough sunglasses to make at least fifteen cedi, the equivalent of US$10, and are allowed to set their own prices, but are unable to sell any pair for less than three cedi. Once they've made enough money, they must give it to the lead vendor in exchange for the next clue. The chosen team members finish selling: 1. Brook [Brook 1, Claire 1] 2. Michael [Michael 1, Kevin 1] 3. Connor [Connor 2, Jonathan 0] 4. Chad [Chad 2, Stephanie 0] 5. Rachel [Katie 0, Rachel 2] 6. Jenna [Andie 0, Jenna 2] 7. Mallory [Gary 1, Mallory 1] 8. Jill [Jill 1, Thomas 1] 9. Nick [Nick 2, Vicki 0] 10. Kat [Nat 1, Kat 1]

Teams are told to travel by taxi to the area known as June 4th, where they must find their next clue outside a local business called Peace Motor Spare Parts. It's twelve kilometres (7.5 miles) away, and teams arrive: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Chad & Stephanie 3. Katie & Rachel 4. Michael & Kevin 5. Connor & Jonathan 6. Jill & Thomas 7. Nick & Vicki 8. Gary & Mallory 9. Nat & Kat 10. Andie & Jenna

There, they find themselves presented with the season's first Detour, which is a choice between TUNE IN and CHECK OUT. Teams who choose TUNE IN must walk to the nearby Adom Electricals to pick up a television antenna, then find one of several marked houses in the neighbourhood directly behind it. Once they've chosen a house, they must successfully install the antenna to the satisfaction of the owner, who will give them their next clue. (The strobe effects seen in the shots of the televisions aren't a sign of poor reception in the area – that's exactly what happens when you film a television from too close.) Teams who choose CHECK OUT must walk to the nearby Emmanuel's Woodshop to pick up a coffin, designed in accordance with the traditional Ga practice of showing the lifestyles of those entombed within. Once they select a coffin, they must load it onto a cart and move it through the crowded streets to the Hello Coffin showroom to get the next clue. (One wonders how they would design a coffin for the people who make these coffins.) Both tasks being more difficult and entertaining than they seem, teams finish: 1. Brook & Claire [Tune In] 2. Katie & Rachel [Check Out] 3. Michael & Kevin [Tune In] 4. Chad & Stephanie [Tune In] 5. Jill & Thomas [Check Out] 6. Nick & Vicki [Tune In] 7. Connor & Jonathan [Check Out, after switching] 8. Gary & Mallory [Tune In] 9. Nat & Kat [Check Out] 10. Andie & Jenna [Check Out]

The final clue of this leg tells teams to make their way seventeen kilometres (10.625 miles) by taxi to the Kaneshie Market, one of the largest in West Africa, where they must find the Pit Stop beneath a footbridge amidst the hordes of locals. Teams check-in: 1. Brook & Claire, who each win a ten-day trip to Hawai'i, courtesy of 2. Katie & Rachel 3. Michael & Kevin 4. Chad & Stephanie 5. Jill & Thomas 6. Connor & Jonathan 7. Nat & Kat 8. Nick & Vicki 9. Gary & Mallory 10. Andie & Jenna, who are eliminated.

Phil and the greeter:

The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 3: Doryumu, Ghana

Day 5: Sunday, May 30th, 2010

After a Pit Stop lasting approximately 23 hours (04:55 arrival in Accra, only 45 minutes driving time, plus three hours for clearing customs and performing tasks puts them arriving at about 08:30-09:00 the previous morning), teams depart from the Kaneshie Market in Accra, Ghana: 07:34 – Brook & Claire 07:35 – Katie & Rachel [+1 min] 07:45 – Michael & Kevin [+11 min] 07:52 – Chad & Stephanie [+18 min] 07:58 – Jill & Thomas [+24 min] 08:01 – Connor & Jonathan [+27 min] 08:02 – Nat & Kat [+28 min] 08:04 – Nick & Vicki [+30 min] 08:06 – Gary & Mallory [+32 min] Teams are directed to travel five kilometres (3.125 miles) to the suburb of Jamestown, where they must find a clue waiting outside the Akotoku Academy. They are not told that the academy teaches boxing. Teams are given US$146 for this third leg of the race. They arrive: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Chad & Stephanie 3. Katie & Rachel 4. Connor & Jonathan 5. Michael & Kevin 6. Jill & Thomas 7. Gary & Mallory 8. Nick & Vicki 9. Nat & Kat

And encounter this week's Road Block, with a hint stating, “You've got a rocky road ahead”. Here, the chosen team member will be shown how to properly wrap their hands for boxing practice, then must do it themselves. Once they've done so, they must punch a speedbag for sixty seconds, then jump a skipping rope for sixty seconds. After successfully completing all three parts of the task, the boxing coach will give them their next clue. With the only real sticking point being whether you're smart enough to realise you can move slower and still finish in the same amount of time if you're accurate, the selected team members finish: 1. Brook [Brook 2, Claire 1] 2. Katie [Katie 1, Rachel 2] 3. Chad [Chad 3, Stephanie 0] 4. Connor [Connor 3, Jonathan 0] 5. Kevin [Michael 1, Kevin 2] 6. Gary [Gary 2, Mallory 1] 7. Vicki [Nick 2, Vicki 1] 8. Thomas [Jill 1, Thomas 2] 9. Nat [Nat 2, Kat 1]

Teams must now travel 54 kilometres (33.75 miles) by taxi to the district of Dodowa, where they must find a marked supply depot. They reach it: 1. Connor & Jonathan 2. Brook & Claire 3. Michael & Kevin 4. Katie & Rachel 5. Gary & Mallory 6. Jill & Thomas 7. Nick & Vicki 8. Chad & Stephanie 9. Nat & Kat

Teams must now pick up a list of waiting supplies (two wheelbarrows, two shovels, two brooms, two trowels, two scrapers, two bricks, and one bag of cement) and transport them about 400 metres (a quarter of a mile) to a foreman waiting at the Asebi D/A Primary School. If they deliver the correct supplies, they will be given the next clue. If they do not have the right supplies, they must return for whatever they missed, taking the supplies they already have back with them. Teams finish the task: 1. Connor & Jonathan 2. Brook & Claire, who forgot a wheelbarrow 3. Gary & Mallory 4. Michael & Kevin, who forgot a wheelbarrow 5. Jill & Thomas 6. Chad & Stephanie 7. Katie & Rachel, who forgot a trowel 8. Nick & Vicki, who took too many bags of cement 9. Nat & Kat

The next task is surprisingly difficult (or so the producers would like us to think). They must sit in on a class and participate in a geography quiz. The teacher will call out the name of an African country, and either the students or the team will be asked to place the matching magnet in the right place on a map of Africa. The teacher will alternate between picking Ghana and another remaining country. If they pick Ghana, the team must locate it. If they pick another country, one of the local students must find it (in the process narrowing down the remaining options for the team). Once the team correctly places Ghana on the map, they will be given the next clue. Perhaps made harder by the show not visiting continental Africa at any point in about five seasons prior to entering Ghana (Burkina Faso was seen in Legs 3 and 4 of season twelve, the following three seasons skipped Africa entirely, and season sixteen only went to the Seychelles island chain), none of the teams successfully identify Ghana on their first attempt. Teams are shown identifying Ghana (though Gary & Mallory are incorrectly placed in 3rd, and the four teams following them are in a montage): 1. Connor & Jonathan 2. Gary & Mallory 3. Chad & Stephanie 4. Jill & Thomas 5. Katie & Rachel 6. Brook & Claire 7. Michael & Kevin, accompanied by an electric guitar riff first heard in The Amazing Race 4 8. Nick & Vicki 9. Nat & Kat

The clue they receive is this week's Detour, a choice between BICYCLE PARTS or LANGUAGE ARTS. Teams who choose BICYCLE PARTS must use a reed to help them roll a bicycle wheel rim along a soccer field and back, without touching the rim or letting it fall over. Because using the soccer field to play soccer would be a ridiculous idea. If they can manage to steer their rim successfully, a local child will give them their next clue. Teams who choose LANGUAGE ARTS must choose a waiting scroll showing a proverb, which contains eight highlighted phrases. They must use a “decoder” (because languages other than English are all codes) located on one side of a building to translate these eight phrases into the corresponding symbols from the local Adrinka language (complete with the English translations written in what appears to be a variant on the font from The Lion King, because AFRICA). Then, they must find a giant cloth on another wall of the same building, and circle the correct sequence of symbols in a giant wordsearch puzzle printed on the cloth. Once they find it, a local child will give them their next clue. With the hardest part of the Detour being finding the translation guide for the wordsearch, teams finish: 1. Connor & Jonathan [Language Arts] 2. Gary & Mallory [Bicycle Parts] 3. Chad & Stephanie [Bicycle Parts, after switching] 4. Katie & Rachel [Bicycle Parts, after switching] 5. Nick & Vicki [Bicycle Parts] 6. Brook & Claire [Bicycle Parts, after switching] 7. Jill & Thomas [Bicycle Parts, after switching] 8. Nat & Kat [Bicycle Parts, after switching] 9. Michael & Kevin [Bicycle Parts, after switching]

The final clue of this leg directs teams to leave the school and walk along a marked path of unknown distance to Awusa Ntso's farm, the Pit Stop for this leg of the race, and the location at which we learn they will be insisting on the rapid zooms as Phil says “the last team to check-in here may be eliminated” all season, regardless of whether it makes sense. Teams check-in: 1. Connor & Jonathan, who each win US$5000 cash 2. Gary & Mallory 3. Chad & Stephanie 4. Katie & Rachel 5. Nick & Vicki 6. Brook & Claire 7. Jill & Thomas 8. Nat & Kat 9. Michael & Kevin, who are saved by a non-elimination, but will face a Speed Bump in the next leg.

The greeter:

The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 4: Riksgränsen, Sweden

Day 6: Monday, May 31st, 2010

After a Pit Stop lasting approximately 24 hours (note there's no extension beyond what seems to be the usual timing these days), during which time teams assisted in the remodelling of the school building visited in the previous leg, teams depart from Awusa Ntso's homestead in Doryumu, Ghana: 10:15 – Connor & Jonathan 11:19 – Gary & Mallory [+64 min] 11:29 – Chad & Stephanie [+74 min] 12:12 – Katie & Rachel [+117 min] 12:23 – Nick & Vicki [+128 min] 12:24 – Brook & Claire [+129 min] 12:29 – Jill & Thomas [+134 min] 13:12 – Nat & Kat [+177 min] 13:26 – Michael & Kevin [+191 min]

Teams are directed to fly to Kiruna, in Lapland, Sweden. This is the first time the race has crossed into the Arctic Circle. When they land, they must drive themselves to Jukkasjärvi, and find the warehouse where the ice used to make the Icehotel each year is stored. Because it's just too damn hard to find ice in the Arctic. Due to the supposed lack of available flights to and from Accra and Kiruna, teams have been provided with tickets connecting through Frankfurt and Stockholm (despite Accra being the second busiest airport in West Africa), but are allowed to make their own arrangements if they wish. Teams receive US$184 for this fourth leg of the race.

All nine teams take the provided Lufthansa flight, LH567, to Frankfurt, departing at 22:03 and arriving in Frankfurt at 06:38.

Day 7: Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

From Frankfurt, teams fly to Kiruna as follows (teams listed in alphabetical order):

Flight #1 (Lufthansa flight LH3000 to Stockholm, SAS flight SK1042 to Kiruna, departs Frankfurt 07:47, arrives Kiruna 12:31): 1=. Brook & Claire, Gary & Mallory, Michael & Kevin, and Nat & Kat Flight #2 (Lufthansa flight LH3002 to Stockholm, SAS flight SK1044 to Kiruna, departs Frankfurt 09:55, arrives Kiruna 14:40): 4=. Chad & Stephanie, Connor & Jonathan, Jill & Thomas, Katie & Rachel, and Nick & Vicki

When teams arrive in Kiruna, they find marked cars outside the airport and must drive themselves fifteen kilometres (9.375 miles) to the Icehotel storage warehouse, where they arrive: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Brook & Claire 3. Gary & Mallory 4. Michael & Kevin 5. Katie & Rachel 6. Connor & Jonathan 7. Nick & Vicki 8. Chad & Stephanie 9. Jill & Thomas

Before receiving the next clue, however, Michael & Kevin must complete their Speed Bump task. This time, they must... sit on a seat for ten minutes. That's it. Admittedly, the chairs are made of ice and they don't get a pillow or anything, and they're being mocked by a television screen with footage of a log fire playing, but still. LAME. Especially considering the seats are at most ten feet from the cluebox. Naturally, between the simple task and the time difference between the two flights, the order remains: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Brook & Claire 3. Gary & Mallory 4. Michael & Kevin 5. Katie & Rachel 6. Connor & Jonathan 7. Nick & Vicki 8. Chad & Stephanie 9. Jill & Thomas

The next clue is etched on a block of ice on display, and reads, “Pietarasjärvivägen, Fjellborgs vid Väkkäräjärvi”.Teams must write it down, and work out that it's a location ten kilometres (6.25 miles) away, known in English as Fjellborg's Lodge. Teams drive there, arriving: 1. Michael & Kevin 2. Gary & Mallory 3. Brook & Claire 4. Nat & Kat 5. Katie & Rachel 6. Connor & Jonathan 7. Chad & Stephanie 8. Nick & Vicki 9. Jill & Thomas

There, they encounter a Road Block, which asks, “Who's feeling kind of mushy?” Not surprisingly, the task involves mushing sled dogs. But with the race being filmed in the Arctic summer, the chosen team member must hitch a team of sled dogs to a summer training sled, which has wheels for the dry surface instead of the flat surface on winter sleds. Once the dogs are attached, they must steer the sled along a marked course and collect flags of five different colours. At the end of the course, they must exchange all five flags for a bundle of fur pelts. If they do not have all five flags, they must complete an extra lap of the course for each missed flag before being given the pelts. Once they have the pelts, they must ride back to the start of the task to exchange the pelts for the next clue. The chosen team members finish the task: 1. Michael [Michael 2, Kevin 2] 2. Claire [Brook 2, Claire 2] 3. Mallory, who had to perform a penalty lap [Gary 2, Mallory 2] 4. Kat [Nat 2, Kat 2] 5. Connor [Connor 4, Jonathan 0] 6. Nick [Nick 3, Vicki 1] 7. Katie [Katie 2, Rachel 1] 8. Stephanie [Chad 3, Stephanie 1] 9. Jill [Jill 2, Thomas 2]

Teams are directed to drive themselves 153 kilometres (95.625 miles) to the Vassijaure train station. It's the longest single-stretch drive since The Amazing Race 13's New Zealand leg (though that sounds less impressive when you consider how few of those legs have actually involved driving), and teams reach the train station: 1. Michael & Kevin 2. Nat & Kat 3. Gary & Mallory 4. Brook & Claire 5. Connor & Jonathan 6. Chad & Stephanie 7. Katie & Rachel 8. Nick & Vicki 9. Jill & Thomas

The clue at the train station is a Detour, and is a choice between SLEDS and BEDS. Both tasks first require teams to drive seven kilometres (4.375 miles) farther along the same road from the train station. Teams who choose SLEDS must walk to a nearby hill, and each team member must ride a TechSled (essentially a miniature snowmobile) down a course to the base of the hill, crossing the finish line with a time of 1 minute 58 seconds or less. If they fail to finish within the time limit, they must return to the top and try again. After both team members have finished, they will be given the next clue. Teams who choose BEDS must walk to a nearby Sami 'encampment' (ie. 'camp staged by the show to make it easy to get to'), and work together using provided materials to build a traditional tent known as a goahti, before furnishing the inside. Once the goahti has been built and furnished, a Sami elder will give the team their next clue. (Similar tasks utilising native peoples of appeared in both The Amazing Race 5 – though the task was edited out – and The Amazing Race: Family Edition.) With Sleds being the 'hare' option and Beds being the 'tortoise' option in this well-designed Detour, teams receive their next clue: 1. Nat & Kat [Sleds] 2. Brook & Claire [Sleds] 3. Gary & Mallory [Sleds] 4. Michael & Kevin [Beds] 5. Jill & Thomas [Beds, using their Express Pass] 6. Nick & Vicki [Sleds] 7. Chad & Stephanie [Beds, after switching] 8. Katie & Rachel [Beds, after switching] 9. Connor & Jonathan [Beds, after switching]

The final clue of this leg tells teams to drive one kilometre (0.625 miles) to the Pit Stop, which has been placed along the Swedish-Norwegian border. Perhaps as a result of being placed on the border, the sign which usually would show the country teams are in displays LAPLAND instead. Teams check in: 1. Nat & Kat, who win a five-night trip to Belize, courtesy of Travelocity 2. Gary & Mallory 3. Brook & Claire 4. Michael & Kevin 5. Jill & Thomas 6. Nick & Vicki 7. Chad & Stephanie 8. Katie & Rachel 9. Connor & Jonathan, who are eliminated.

The greeter for this leg: The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 5: Narvik, Norway

Day 8: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

After a standard 12-hour Pit Stop, teams depart from the Swedish-Norwegian border, outside of Riksgränsen, Sweden: 06:00 – Nat & Kat 06:04 – Gary & Mallory [+4 min] 06:05 – Brook & Claire [+5 min] 06:30 – Michael & Kevin [+30 min] 06:48 – Jill & Thomas [+48 min] 07:11 – Nick & Vicki [+71 min] 08:12 – Chad & Stephanie [+132 min] 08:34 – Katie & Rachel [+154 min]

Teams are told to drive themselves 37 kilometres to the town of Narvik, Norway. There, they must find the gondola at the base of the Fagernesfjellet mountain, ride it to the top, and find the cluebox near the terminus. They receive an unrevealed amount of cash for this fifth leg of the race. Teams reach the clue, with only Gary & Mallory and Michael & Kevin sharing a gondola: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Brook & Claire 3. Gary & Mallory 4. Michael & Kevin 5. Jill & Thomas 6. Nick & Vicki 7. Chad & Stephanie 8. Katie & Rachel

The clue atop the mountain contains the instructions for this season's only Fast Forward. To “get ahead”, as the clue puts it, teams must drive themselves to the Stornaustet immersive restaurant in the town of Vidrek, 24 kilometres (fifteen miles) away and complete a traditional local Christmas ritual. They are not told until they arrive that to complete the ritual they must eat an entire roasted sheep's head (a dish known as smalahove), leaving only the skull. The first team to finish their feast wins the Fast Forward. Both Nat & Kat and Nick & Vicki attempt the task, with Nat & Kat winning. (It's somewhat cool that the same dish can be the focus of two tasks in two countries so different – roasted sheep's heads were also involved in the Road Block in South Africa in the second season.)

Since the Express Pass has already been used, we are not told whether it can be used to skip the Fast Forward (and, thus, skip the entire leg).

The other clue from the mountain directs teams to drive eighteen kilometres (11.25 miles) to Skjombrua, a bridge – though Nick & Vicki's trip from the Fast Forward is only six kilometres (3.75 miles). They arrive: 1. N/A 2. Michael & Kevin 3. Gary & Mallory 4. Brook & Claire 5. Jill & Thomas 6. Nick & Vicki 7. Chad & Stephanie 8. Katie & Rachel

The next clue is a Road Block, and teams are given the hint, “Strength, stamina, and guts. You'd better have all three.” In this Road Block, the chosen team member must perform a free rappel 130 feet (39 metres) from the edge of the bridge to the water below. Once they've reached the end of the rope, just above the water, they must signal for one of two rescue boats to bring them the next clue and re-rig them, then use a mechanical ascender to climb back up the rope to the edge of the bridge. Notably, this is the first time since the revamp at the start of The Amazing Race 15 that Phil has not tried to provide an explanation of how the task is related to local culture. It's no big loss. Players performing this task finish: 1. N/A [Nat 2, Kat 2] 2. Kevin [Michael 2, Kevin 3] 3. Gary [Gary 3, Mallory 2] 4. Thomas [Jill 2, Thomas 3] 5. Claire [Brook 2, Claire 3] 6. Vicki [Nick 3, Vicki 2] 7. Chad [Chad 4, Stephanie 1] 8. Katie [Katie 3, Rachel 2]

Teams are directed to drive themselves twenty kilometres (12.5 miles) to the region of Harvika, where they must search for their next clue in an unnamed remote field. They find it: 1. N/A 2. Michael & Kevin 3. Jill & Thomas 4. Gary & Mallory 5. Brook & Claire 6. Nick & Vicki 7. Chad & Stephanie 8. Katie & Rachel

And encounter a Detour, which is a choice between BIKE and BOAT. In BIKE, teams must choose a pair of waiting mountain bikes, each corresponding to a colour-coded bicycle lock on a nearby rail (since the bikes aren't locked, it's not clear how exactly the locks match up to the bikes), then ride along a difficult uphill path to a sign displaying the combinations for each of the ten locks. They must memorise the combination shown for their coloured lock, and return to the start to unlock it, retrieving the next clue from inside. In BOAT, teams must make their way to a dock full of fishing trawlers, and use a simple provided map to navigate its captain to a nearby point where they can disembark. They must take two large fish and a chainsaw from the boat and carry them up a steep hill to a hut to deliver them. Once they have done so, they will be given their next clue. It's not a particularly well-planned Detour, with the Bike option clearly faster and with both options feeling pretty hackneyed, but teams finish: 1. N/A 2. Jill & Thomas [Bike] 3. Gary & Mallory [Bike] 4. Michael & Kevin [Boat] 5. Brook & Claire [Boat] 6. Nick & Vicki [Bike] 7. Chad & Stephanie [Boat] 8. Katie & Rachel [Boat]

The final clue of this leg tells teams to return to their vehicles and drive to the Pit Stop at the Ankenes Marina in Narvik. It's 30 kilometres (18.75 miles) from the Detour, and sixteen kilometres (ten miles) from the Fast Forward. Teams check-in: 1. Nat & Kat, who win a five-night trip to Costa Rica, courtesy of Travelocity 2. Gary & Mallory 3. Jill & Thomas 4. Michael & Kevin 5. Brook & Claire 6. Nick & Vicki 7. Chad & Stephanie 8. Katie & Rachel, who are eliminated.

Phil and the greeter, wearing the ugliest sweater to be seen on television since... well, since Phil used to routinely wear ugly sweaters:

The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 6: St. Petersburg, Russia

Day 9: Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

After a 36-hour Pit Stop, teams depart from the Ankenes Marina in Narvik, Norway: 20:26 – Nat & Kat ? - Gary & Mallory [?] ? - Jill & Thomas [?] ? - Michael & Kevin [?] ? - Brook & Claire [?] ? - Nick & Vicki [?] ? - Chad & Stephanie [?]

Teams are directed to travel by train to Stockholm, Sweden, then fly to St. Petersburg, Russia. When they land,teams must travel eighteen kilometres (11.25 miles) by taxi to Vasilievsky Island and find their next clue at the Rostral Columns. They receive an unknown amount of cash for this sixth leg of the race.

It's a fairly simple trip over 1200 miles (1920 kilometres) by Phil's count, though it's actually much longer with the route teams take and much shorter as the crow flies. All seven teams travel together... Day 10: Friday, June 4th, 2010

...departing from Narvik at 10:26 and arriving in Boden, Sweden at 16:53, then switching to a train to Uppsala, Sweden, departing at 17:25...

Day 11: Saturday, June 5th, 2010

...arriving at 06:02. From there, they take cabs to Arlanda International Airport outside of Stockholm, and all teams wind up on the same SAS flight, SK732, departing at 10:14 and arriving at 13:33.

In St. Petersburg, teams arrive at the Rostral Columns: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Michael & Kevin 3. Chad & Stephanie 4. Gary & Mallory 5. Jill & Thomas 6. Nick & Vicki 7. Nat & Kat

Where they are presented with this week's Detour, a choice between CLASSICAL MUSIC and CLASSIC CINEMA. Teams choosing CLASSICAL MUSIC must travel three kilometres (1.875 miles) to Beloselsky- Belozersky Palace and find a “maestro” near three continually-playing gramophones. They must listen to the gramophones, each playing a different piece of Russian classical music (Troika by Tchaikovsky, Pictures At An Exhibition by Mussorgsky, and Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov), then enter a room full of pianists trying to find those playing the same pieces. Each pianist has a pile of sheet music for the piece they're playing on their piano, and teams must place the sheet music in the corresponding slots in a folder. Once they have all three pieces correctly matched, they will be given their next clue. Teams choosing CLASSIC CINEMA must make their way to the Lenfilm Studio and find Sound Stage 4, the first place a movie was shown in Russia. There, they must search through a large pile of film strips to find one showing any part of the scene from Eisenstein's October simultaneously playing on the screen. Once they've found one, they can exchange it for their next clue. Despite both options seeming difficult and convoluted, they're actually fairly simple if you can figure out the trick to the task, and teams finish: 1. Jill & Thomas [Classic Cinema] 2. Brook & Claire [Classic Cinema] 3. Michael & Kevin [Classic Cinema] 4. Chad & Stephanie [Classical Music] 5. Nat & Kat [Classic Cinema, after switching] 6. Gary & Mallory [Classic Cinema, after switching] 7. Nick & Vicki [Classical Music, after switching twice]

Teams who finished Classical Music receive their next clue on a vinyl record, while teams who finished Classic Cinema receive their next clue on a film canister. Either way, it's a photo of Palace Square, and teams must travel there. Palace Square is 2km (1.25 miles) from Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace, and 3km (1.875 miles) from Lenfilm, and teams arrive: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Brook & Claire 3. Michael & Kevin 4. Chad & Stephanie 5. Nat & Kat 6. Gary & Mallory 7. Nick & Vicki

Assuming there were two U-Turns this season, this had to be the site of the unshown first one – we know one U-Turn site, two legs had no Detour, the Detour was the last task (or only followed by a very quick task) in seven out of the nine remaining legs, and the next St. Petersburg leg wasn't structured to allow for a U-Turn.

Teams must now continue in their taxis 29 kilometres (18.125 miles) to the town of Alexandrovskaya, and find their next clue at the neighbourhood store. They reach it: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Michael & Kevin 3. Jill & Thomas 4. Nat & Kat 5. Chad & Stephanie 6. Gary & Mallory 7. Nick & Vicki

And find themselves presented with a Road Block, which asks, “Who's ready for a Russian drag race?” (Wow! Sexist and bigoted and xenophobic, all in one clue!) Here, the chosen team member must put on traditional outfits to make them resemble babushkas. Then, they must walk to a nearby address to pick up a sack of 50 potatoes, carry them to waiting wheelbarrows at Duck's End, shovel a large pile of cow manure into their wheelbarrow, and carry it to a nearby field on 14th Path. There, they must plant all of their potatoes in a line in the field (with each team's line adjacent to each other). Once they're done, a babushka will give them their next clue. The chosen team members finish: 1. Kevin [Michael 2, Kevin 2] 2. Brook [Brook 3, Claire 3] 3. Jill [Jill 3, Thomas 3] 4. Nat [Nat 3, Kat 2] 5. Stephanie [Chad 4, Stephanie 2] 6. Mallory [Gary 3, Mallory 3] 7. Nick [Nick 4, Vicki 2]

The final clue of the leg tells teams to travel 29 kilometres (18.125 miles) by taxi to the Pit Stop, in a park across the road from St. Isaac's cathedral in St. Petersburg (though they are only told the Pit Stop is at the cathedral). Teams check-in: 1. Jill & Thomas, who win a five-night trip to Sao Paolo, courtesy of Travelocity 2. Brook & Claire 3. Michael & Kevin 4. Nat & Kat 5. Chad & Stephanie 6. Gary & Mallory 7. Nick & Vicki, who are saved by a non-elimination. However, due to incorrect judging during the Detour causing them to fall seriously behind, they will not have to face a Speed Bump during the next leg, and become the first team since Kelly & Jon in The Amazing Race 4 to not have a penalty after arriving last (though you could make a case for the two teams saved by others' Marked For Elimination penalties also having a penalty-free non-elimination).

Phil and the greeter:

The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 7: St. Petersburg, Russia

Day 12: Sunday, June 6th, 2010

After a Pit Stop of indeterminate length resulting from the major – but unmentioned – production issues discussed above, teams depart from the Pit Stop at St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia: 08:30 – Jill & Thomas 08:35 – Brook & Claire [+5 min] 08:40 – Michael & Kevin [+10 min] ? - Nat & Kat [?] ? - Chad & Stephanie [?] ? - Gary & Mallory [?] ? - Nick & Vicki [?]

Based on reports after the episode aired explaining the production difficulties, it would not surprise me if all seven teams were spread in five-minute intervals to help make up the massive time gap narrower in order to not disadvantage Nick & Vicki. (One wonders whether they were given extra money to make up for the taxi fares they lost travelling between options.)

For this leg, however, the first clue tells teams to travel ten kilometres by taxi to the Avtovo Circus to find their next clue. They receive an unstated amount of money for this seventh leg of the race. When teams arrive, the main entrance is closed (seemingly as a way of bunching the teams together fully). As the circus gates open, teams run to the cluebox, apparently having agreed to grab it in the order they arrived, reaching it: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Michael & Kevin 3. Brook & Claire 4. Gary & Mallory 5. Nat & Kat 6. Chad & Stephanie 7. Nick & Vicki The clue is a Detour, with teams having to choose between CIRCUS BAND or CIRCUS CLOWN. (Possible alternate title: Musical Act or Balancing Act.) Teams picking CIRCUS BAND must choose a waiting musician to teach them how to play the traditional Russian folk song Kalinka. They will be taught the song in three sections, and both team members must successfully perform the song in order for their teacher to give them the next clue. Teams picking CIRCUS CLOWN must enter the Big Top and learn how to spin plates. They must successfully keep ten plates spinning simultaneously for at least ten seconds in order for a clown to give them their next clue. For both options, clowns will attempt to distract teams and all players must wear red noses throughout. Teams finish this surprisingly-brilliant Detour: 1. Brook & Claire [Circus Clown] 2. Nat & Kat [Circus Band] 3. Nick & Vicki [Circus Clown] 4. Gary & Mallory [Circus Band] 5. Michael & Kevin [Circus Clown] 6. Chad & Stephanie [Circus Band, after switching] 7. Jill & Thomas [Circus Clown, after switching twice]

Teams are told to “find the canal bridge guarded by creatures with golden wings”. They must work out for themselves that it's the Bank Bridge, located nine kilometres (5.625 miles) away, then travel there by taxi. They arrive: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Nat & Kat 3. Nick & Vicki 4. Michael & Kevin 5. Gary & Mallory 6. Jill & Thomas 7. Chad & Stephanie

Teams must now walk about two kilometres (1.25 miles) to 1 Vladimirsky Prospekt Tower. When they arrive, they must climb to the top of the tower and look for a hint to their next location. Only two people at a time (and only one person from each team at a time) are allowed into the tower. They are specifically forbidden from hiring taxis to lead them to the tower, but can ask locals for assistance. They arrive: 1. Nat & Kat (Kat climbing) 2. Nick & Vicki (Nick climbing) 3. Michael & Kevin, who followed their taxi (Kevin climbing) 4. Brook & Claire (Claire climbing) 5. Gary & Mallory (Mallory climbing) 6. Jill & Thomas (Thomas climbing) 7. Chad & Stephanie (Stephanie climbing, but switching with Chad)

Teams must now walk to the landmark represented by a small figurine displayed on the tower's ledge, the Church on Spilled Blood. They arrive: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Nick & Vicki 3. Michael & Kevin, who took a taxi 4. Brook & Claire, who took a taxi, but later corrected themselves 5. Gary & Mallory 6. Jill & Thomas 7. Chad & Stephanie, who took a taxi

The next clue reads: “What am I? Peter the Great is buried inside me. The writer Dostoevsky was imprisoned inside me. Find me and then search for the gorodki courts to receive your next clue.” They must work out that the clue is referring to the Peter and Paul Fortress, then travel there. They find the gorodki courts: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Michael & Kevin 3. Brook & Claire 4. Nick & Vicki 5. Chad & Stephanie 6. Jill & Thomas 7. Gary & Mallory

And find a Road Block, which asks, “Between the two of you, who is the real player?”. This time, the chosen member of each team must play gorodki, a centuries-old Russian game Phil describes as similar to ten-pin bowling, right before being knocked off his feet by a local player. They must throw a wooden stick to knock all of the gorodki pins, arranged in one of fifteen possible alignments, out of a marked area. They have two attempts to remove all the pins from the area before they are reset. Once they've beaten one formation, a new one will be set up. They must beat three different formations in order to be given the next clue. The chosen team members finish this apparently exceedingly difficult task: 1. Kat [Nat 3, Kat 3] 2. Brook [Brook 4, Claire 3] 3. Nick [Nick 5, Vicki 2] 4. Thomas [Jill 4, Thomas 3] 5. Gary [Gary 4, Thomas 3] 6. Michael [Michael 3, Kevin 4] 7. Stephanie [Chad 4, Stephanie 3]

The final clue of this frustrating leg tells teams to enter the fortress proper and search for the Pit Stop, at a bastion near the main flagpole. Teams check-in: 1. Nat & Kat, who each win US$5000 cash 2. Brook & Claire 3. Nick & Vicki 4. Gary & Mallory 5. Jill & Thomas 6. Chad & Stephanie, who received a 30-minute penalty for following a taxi 7. Michael & Kevin, who received a 30-minute penalty for following a taxi to the tower, and a 30-minute penalty for travelling by taxi to the church, and who are subsequently eliminated.

The greeter, the third in history to welcome teams to a specific landmark (after the greeter in The Amazing Race 15's second Dubai leg, and the one from this season's premiere):

The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 8: Muscat, Oman

Day 13: Monday, June 7th, 2010

After a standard 12-hour Pit Stop, teams depart from the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, Russia, though the mat has been moved to the waterfront outside the fortress: 01:06 – Nat & Kat 01:28 – Brook & Claire [+22 min] 01:29 – Nick & Vicki [+23 min] 01:46 – Gary & Mallory [+40 min] 01:53 – Jill & Thomas [+47 min] 02:45 04:45 – Chad & Stephanie, who overslept [+99 min] [+219 min]

Teams are directed to fly “more than 4000 miles” (over 6400 kilometres) to Muscat, Oman. When they land, they must take a taxi 35 kilometres (21.875 miles) to Burj al-Mubkharah – located in Riyam Park, the site of the giant incense burner seen in The Amazing Race 9 – and find a man who will give them an engraved silver ingot showing their departure time for the next morning. When they are free to leave, they must climb a nearby watchtower to retrieve their next clue. Teams have an unknown amount of cash for this eighth leg of the race. Teams book tickets at the UniFest Travel travel agency, and fly as follows (teams listed alphabetically):

Flight #1 (KLM flight KL3094 to Amsterdam, KLM flight KL449 to Muscat via Abu Dhabi, departing St. Petersburg 08:00, arriving Muscat 20:19): 1=. Brook & Claire and Nat & Kat Flight #2 (Lufthansa flight LH3221 to Frankfurt, Lufthansa flight LH618 to Muscat via Abu Dhabi, departing St. Petersburg 05:53, arriving Muscat 22:25): 3=. Gary & Mallory, Jill & Thomas, and Nick & Vicki Flight #3 (Air France flight AF2899 to Paris, Etihad Airlines flight EY32 to Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airlines flight EY388 to Muscat, departing St. Petersburg 07:29, arriving Muscat 22:35): 6. Chad & Stephanie

They receive ingots at Burj al-Mabkharah: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Nat & Kat 3. Jill & Thomas 4. Chad & Stephanie 5. Gary & Mallory 6. Nick & Vicki

Day 14: Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 Before departing in the morning, Chad proposed to Stephenie by the water's edge. She said yes, and they married six days after this episode aired in the and Canada.

Teams climb the watchtower to grab the clue: 07:30: 1. Brook & Claire and 2. Nat & Kat 07:45: 3. Jill & Thomas and 4. Chad & Stephanie 08:00: 5. Nick & Vicki and 6. Gary & Mallory

Teams are told to drive themselves 270 kilometres (168.75 miles) to Jebel Shams, the tallest mountain in Oman. They must find a specified point at the base of the mountain, where a safety driver will join them and drive them to the clue at the summit. They arrive at the cluebox: 1. Chad & Stephanie 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Nick & Vicki 4. Brook & Claire 5. Nat & Kat 6. Gary & Mallory

And find this week's Road Block, which asks, “Who's ready to add a little to their life?”. In this Road Block, the chosen team member must perform a 500-foot (150-metre) abseil to reach a “narrow ledge on the side of the mountain”, then search among hundreds of lamps reminiscent of the Genie's lamp from Aladdin laid out on the ground for one containing a ring. Because ARABIAN DESERT. (Yeah, I know. It sounds offensive and stereotypical when I describe it, but Phil makes it seem as though Aladdin was an actual person, and the rings are magic. Oy.) Once they find a ring, they can exchange it for their next clue, but must hike back up to their partner before reading it. Selected team members finish: 1. Chad [Chad 5, Stephanie 3] 2. Jill [Jill 4, Thomas 4] 3. Vicki [Nick 5, Vicki 3] 4. Claire [Brook 4, Claire 4] 5. Kat [Nat 3, Kat 4] 6. Mallory [Gary 4, Mallory 4]

The next clue directs teams to drive 87 kilometres (54.375 miles) to Nizwa (which was incorrectly credited as the site of the Pit Stop in the Oman leg of The Amazing Race 9), where they must find the Stack of Books, a statue in a local roundabout. The cluebox is on top of the statue. They find it: 1. Chad & Stephanie 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Brook & Claire 4. Nick & Vicki, who had to fix a flat tire 5. Nat & Kat 6. Gary & Mallory

And encounter a Detour, this time a choice between WATER TABLE and WEDDING TABLE. Both options first require teams to drive about 120 kilometres (75 miles) back to Muscat. Teams who opt for WATER TABLE must find a group of water trucks use a motorised pump to pump water from an aquifer into a water truck. Once it's full, they must navigate the truck and its driver through the streets of Muscat to a designated address and deliver the water. Teams who opt for WEDDING TABLE must make their way to a marketplace, where they must buy the ingredients for maqbous, a traditional Arab dish. They must then cook the dish and present it to a couple at a nearby wedding. It's a ridiculous detour, both because the title doesn't make sense and because it's so lopsided – one side is just “navigate the streets”, while the other is “buy a large amount of food with your own meagre budget, cook a traditional soup, AND navigate the streets” - so it's not surprising all six teams (including the ones who got engaged earlier that morning) start and finish WATER TABLE, finishing: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Chad & Stephanie 3. Nick & Vicki* 4. Brook & Claire* 5. Nat & Kat 6. Gary & Mallory

Teams must now drive a variable distance to the Mutrah Souq (one “T” in “Mutrah”, graphics guys). It was also the site of the Detour in The Amazing Race Asia 3's leg in Oman, and as an even more striking contrast to the above lopsided tasks, the only Detour in history in which a team switched tasks four times. This time, they must find the Ghalib Bakheet Salen Bait Kalshat Al-Mahari Store, pick up some lit frankincense, and carry it through the market to a vendor known as Ali Baba. (No, Phil, the vendor is not “the famed Ali Baba”.) Because, once again, ARABIAN NIGHTS. Especially for the four teams who arrive after sunset. Teams arrive at the market and finish the task: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Chad & Stephanie 3. Nick & Vicki 4. Brook & Claire 5. Nat & Kat 6. Gary & Mallory

The final clue of this leg tells teams to drive four kilometres (two-and-a-half miles) to the Pit Stop at Al- Alam Palace. Again, this was seen during The Amazing Race Asia 3's Oman visit – in fact, the cluebox in that case was right behind where Jill & Thomas sit during their penalty. For whatever reason, the location sign is not present at this Pit Stop, only the third time since its introduction this has been the case. Teams check-in: 1. Chad & Stephanie, who win a five-night trip to Ambergris Cay, Belize, courtesy of Travelocity 2. Jill & Thomas, who had arrived first but got a 30-minute penalty for following a taxi to the Pit Stop 3. Nick & Vicki 4. Brook & Claire 5. Nat & Kat 6. Gary & Mallory, who are eliminated.

The greeter:

The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 9: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Day 15: Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

After a 16-hour Pit Stop, teams depart from Al-Alam Palace in Muscat, Oman: 11:10 – Chad & Stephanie 11:27 – Jill & Thomas [+17 min] 12:57 – Nick & Vicki [+107 min] 13:36 – Brook & Claire [+146 min] 15:37 – Nat & Kat [+267 min]

Teams are told to fly 2000 miles (3200 kilometres) to Dhaka, Bangladesh, the most densely populated city in the world. When they land, they must travel seventeen kilometres (10.625 miles) to the Sundarban Square Supermarket and find a sugarcane press. They must then press enough sugarcane to fill a large mug with sugarcane juice, and one team member must drink it all in order to receive the next clue. As seems to be becoming a sad tradition, the teams are given an unrevealed amount of money for this ninth leg of the race. Teams fly to Dhaka (sometimes spelled as Dacca, but never as Dakar) as follows:

Flight #1 (Qatar Airlines flight QR165 to Doha, Qatar Airline flight QR344 to Dhaka, departing Muscat 18:37, arriving Dhaka 05:15): 1. Jill & Thomas Flight #2 (????? flight LX243 to Dubai, Emirates flight EK582 to Dhaka, departing Muscat 23:35, arriving Dhaka 08:40): 2. Nick & Vicki Flight #3 (Jet Airways flight 9W539 to Mumbai, Jet Airways flight 9W276 to Dhaka, departing Muscat 00:45, arriving Dhaka 12:00): 3=. Brook & Claire and Chad & Stephanie Flight #4 (Oman Air flight FZ46 to Dubai, Jet Airways flight 9W543 to Mumbai, Jet Airways flight 9W276 to Dhaka, departing Muscat 18:10, arriving Dhaka 12:00): 3=. Nat & Kat

Day 16: Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Teams land in Dhaka and take taxis to the Supermarket, where they make and drink their sugarcane juice: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Nick & Vicki 3. Chad & Stephanie 4. Nat & Kat 5. Brook & Claire

The clue teams are given is a Detour. This week, they must choose between BALANCED MEAL or BALANCED BRICKS. Both options require a 2.4 kilometre (1.5 mile) trip by to the Dhaka River port. Teams who choose BALANCED MEAL must make their way to a local business called Shahjahan's, pick up thirty tiffins, ride in a boat rowed by locals to reach a cargo ship along the Dhaka River, and use ropes to hoist the tiffins to the workers in order to receive ten empty tiffins, then bring them back to Shahjahan's to receive the next clue. (Though the tiffins here are interlocking metal containers, the metal racks that holds pastries for high teas in the are also called tiffins.) Teams who choose BALANCED BRICKS must make their way to a nearby supply barge, load bricks into baskets, and carry them on their heads to a nearby marketplace (though teams are allowed to use their hands). They must make as many trips as it takes to deliver 100 bricks, all unbroken, to the marketplace in order to receive their next clue. Teams finish the fairly easy but still time-consuming Detour, most finally paying off Rob's “hungry in the streets of Bangladesh” comment from the very first episode of the first season: 1. Jill & Thomas [Balanced Bricks] 2. Nick & Vicki [Balanced Meal] 3. Nat & Kat [Balanced Meal] 4. Brook & Claire [Balanced Meal] 5. Chad & Stephanie [Balanced Meal]

Teams must now make their way on foot to the Dhaka River Port (weren't they already there?), and find the Double U-Turn. Where normally one team can force another to return and complete the other Detour option, here two teams can use the power at the same time. We do not learn whether the first team forced to U-Turn is able to use the power when they arrive, or after the return to grab the next clue, or not at all. In any event, teams arrive at the Double U-Turn: 1. Jill & Thomas, who force Brook & Claire to U-Turn 2. Nick & Vicki 3. Nat & Kat, who force Chad & Stephanie to U-Turn 4. Brook & Claire 5. Chad & Stephanie

They then read the clue immediately after the Double U-Turn: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Nick & Vicki 3. Nat & Kat 4. Brook & Claire 5. Chad & Stephanie

Teams are told to travel by bicycle rickshaw to Nazira Bazaar, where they must find the Tekka Mistiri Garage. They are told that it's near Sikka Tull, and teams find it: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Nick & Vicki 3. Nat & Kat 4. Brook & Claire 5. Chad & Stephanie

The next clue is a Road Block, which has as its hint the statement, “If you build it, the clue will come.” The chosen team member must properly assemble a bicycle rickshaw from the provided parts and using the provided tools. Once the mechanic is happy with their work, they will be given the next clue. Teams finish this task, a sign the producers actually seem to be trying to provide decent tasks again (especially after last week's dreadful effort): 1. Jill [Jill 5, Thomas 4] 2. Nick [Nick 6, Vicki 3] 3. Nat [Nat 4, Kat 4] 4. Brook [Brook 5, Claire 4] 5. Stephanie [Chad 5, Stephanie 4]

The final clue of this leg tells teams to make their way two-and-a-half kilometres (1.5625 miles) via any available method to the Pit Stop at Lalbagh Fort. They arrive, greeted by a band: 1. Jill & Thomas, who each win a US$7,500 Discover card 2. Nick & Vicki 3. Nat & Kat 4. Brook & Claire 5. Chad & Stephanie, who are eliminated.

The main greeter for this leg: The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 10: Hong Kong, China

Day 17: Friday, June 11th, 2010

After what appears to be a 24-hour Pit Stop, teams depart from Lalbagh Fort in Dhaka, Bangladesh: 08:25 – Jill & Thomas 13:59 – Nick & Vicki [+334 min] 16:05 – Nat & Kat [+460 min] 17:15 – Brook & Claire [+530 min]

Teams are told to fly 5600 kilometres (3500 miles) to Hong Kong, China. (Since The Amazing Race: Family Edition, eight out of nine seasons have visited either China or Japan – season 13 skipped both - while only seven have visited some combination of South America, Africa, and Oceania, with seasons 14 and 15 ignoring all three continents.) When they land in Hong Kong, they must travel by bus and ferry to Cheung Chau island, then hike two kilometres (1.25 miles) to the Cheung Po Tsai cave, where the next clue awaits. Teams receive an unknown amount of cash for this tenth leg of the race. Sigh.

All four teams take the same set of flights, on Singapore Airlines flight SQ435 to Singapore, then on flight CX736 to Hong Kong, departing Dhaka at 23:55 and arriving in Hong Kong at 14:23.

Day 18: Saturday, June 12th, 2010

Teams take buses from the airport: Bus #1: 1. Jill & Thomas Bus #2: 2=. Brook & Claire, Nat & Kat, and Nick & Vicki

And ferries to Cheung Chau, after walking about 600 metres to the ferry terminal: Ferry #1 (16:45): 1=. Brook & Claire, Jill & Thomas, Nat & Kat Ferry #2 (17:15): 4. Nick & Vicki

They reach the cluebox at Cheung Po Tsai: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Brook & Claire 4. Nick & Vicki

The next clue tells teams to take a ferry back to Kowloon, then travel 1.5 kilometres (0.9375 miles) to the Majesty Chinese Restaurant. Taking return ferries in the same bunches, they arrive at the restaurant: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Brook & Claire 4. Nick & Vicki

It's a Road Block asking, “Who's feeling peckish?”. The team member performing this task must use chopsticks to find one of only five fake food items placed throughout a lavish buffet spread in the restaurant. (Despite CBS's downright racist commercials to the contrary, not a single item at the buffet – real or fake – is sushi.) Though they are allowed to poke at the food to their heart's content, any real food picked up must be eaten before continuing. While they eat, their partner may entertain themselves with the on-site karaoke bar. The chosen team members finish: 1. Nat [Nat 5, Kat 4] 2. Thomas [Jill 5, Thomas 5] 3. Claire [Brook 5, Claire 5] 4. Vicki [Nick 6, Vicki 4]

Around this point, it's midnight, so...

Day 19: Sunday, June 13th, 2010

Teams must travel 2.6 kilometres (1.625 miles) by taxi to the Avenue of Stars, and find their next clue at the statue of Bruce Lee. Because Hong Kong = Martial Arts Movies! (Still, at least it's only a passing mention this time, rather than the focus of every task in the episode. Not that this show would ever lower itself to su... Never mind.) Teams reach the cluebox: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Brook & Claire 4. Nick & Vicki

The next clue is a Detour, a choice between DING DING or SAMPAN. Teams who choose DING DING must travel 6.6 kilometres (4.125 miles) to and board the Ding Ding, a 100-year-old tram system. They must then scan the thousands of roadside signs for three which read “Pit Stop”, “Statue”, and “Square”. Naturally, because they haven't quite finished offending the Chinese community yet, the signs teams are looking for are written in that fake slanty pseudo-Asian font that nobody has taken seriously since 1984 and ...well, now. Once teams find all three signs, they can get off the Ding Ding and move on. If they reach the end of the track without finding all three signs, they must start again. Teams who choose SAMPAN must travel 11 kilometres (6.875 miles) to the dock (which, believe it or not, was one of the landmark shots used in the credits for the first season of The Amazing Race Asia) to pick up a birdcage containing two parakeets. Then, they must board a sampan and search hundreds of boats in Harbour for the one whose registration number matches the tag attached to their birdcage. Once they find it, assisted only by provided high-powered flashlights, they can exchange the parakeets for their next clue. Teams receive their next clue after this horrible Detour, essentially a choice between needle-in-a-big-haystack and needle-in-a-bigger-haystack: 1. Jill & Thomas [Sampan, after switching] 2. Nat & Kat [Sampan] 3. Brook & Claire [Sampan] 4. Nick & Vicki [Quit, after beginning Sampan]

The final step of this leg is to travel by taxi to the Pit Stop at Statue Square. Unlike last season's Singapore visit, where Singapore was both the city and country on the sign, the sign here lists Hong Kong as the country and has no city subheading. Teams check-in: 1. Nat & Kat, who win a five-night trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, courtesy of Travelocity 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Brook & Claire 4. Nick & Vicki, who receive a six-hour penalty for quitting the Detour, but are again saved by a non- elimination. This time, however, they will face a Speed Bump during the next leg.

Phil and the greeter:

The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 11: Seoul, South Korea

Note: Due to the combination of the visits to the DMZ and Camp Casey, it is impossible to determine distances between locations for much of the leg.

Day 19: Sunday, June 13th, 2010

After a 12-hour Pit Stop, teams depart from Statue Square in Hong Kong, China: 16:37 – Nat & Kat 16:47 – Jill & Thomas [+10 min] 17:26 – Brook & Claire [+49 min] ? - Nick & Vicki [?]

Teams are told to fly 2080 kilometres (1300 miles) to Seoul, South Korea. When they land, they must drive themselves to the Seung-il Bridge, near the demilitarised zone separating North Korea from South Korea. They receive US$117 for this eleventh leg of the race.

It's hard to argue that this isn't the worst timing for a location ever, the episode airing less than a fortnight after North Korea fired on a South Korean island, but there is an example that eclipses it. In Australia, The Amazing Race 7 was shown about two months behind, resulting in the London episode (containing a Detour task about the London Underground) of that season airing on July 21st, 2005 -- two weeks to the day after the city's public transport had been attacked by terrorists. Even worse, less than half an hour after the episode finished in Australia's eastern states, and WHILE IT WAS AIRING in South Australia and the Northern Territory, news broke that there had been a smaller copycat attack on the same system.

Day 20: Monday, June 14th, 2010

Teams fly as follows (teams listed alphabetically):

Flight #1 (Korean Air flight KE608, departing Hong Kong 00:25, arriving Seoul 04:52): 1=. Brook & Claire, Jill & Thomas, and Nat & Kat Flight #2 (Cathay Pacific flight CX410, departing Hong Kong 10:44 [delayed by over an hour], arriving Seoul 14:33) 4. Nick & Vicki

They drive to the bridge, reaching the cluebox at the adjacent overlook: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Brook & Claire 3. Nat & Kat 4. Nick & Vicki

Teams must board a whitewater raft with professional rafters and navigate it down the rapids of the Hantan River to a beach, then board a waiting Humvee and ride to Camp Casey, where they will be dropped off at the next clue. Because nothing says “foreign country” like “US Army base”. Teams raft and arrive at Camp Casey: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Brook & Claire 3. Nat & Kat 4. Nick & Vicki, who arrived after dark, when it was unsafe to raft, and so were driven directly from the bridge

The clue is on one of the curves of the athletics track at the Schoonover Bowl, but right before it is the Speed Bump. Nick & Vicki must use high-pressure hoses to clean a M109 Self-Propelled Howitzer army tank. Since they completed this task after the other teams had already checked in at the Pit Stop, and then proceeded there themselves rather than finish the leg (due to the massive time delay), Phil does not explain this task to the audience.

For the rest of the teams, the Schoonover Bowl clue is a Road Block asking, “Who's ready to be all you can be?”. The chosen member of each team must run up the steps of the bleachers to retrieve a headband with four Korean characters on it. They must then take it down into a group of two hundred soldiers performing tae kwon do moves in formation, and walk through them to find the soldier wearing the same headband. If they are incorrect, the soldier will take their headband and they must retrieve a new one. If they are correct, the soldier will break formation and kick a wooden board in half to release the next clue. The chosen team members finish the task: 1. Thomas, whose soldier breaks the board with a jumpkick [Jill 5, Thomas 6] 2. Brook, whose soldier breaks the board with a highkick [Brook 6, Claire 5] 3. Kat, whose (HOT) soldier breaks the board during a backflip [Kat 5, Nat 5] 4. N/A

Teams must now walk to the Dongducheon train station, then travel by train to the Seoul World Cup Stadium. They take trains:

Train #1: Jill & Thomas Train #2: Brook & Claire and Nat & Kat N/A: Nick & Vicki

And reach the clue, in the centre of the field: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Brook & Claire 3. Nat & Kat 4. N/A

It's the final Detour of the season, and is a choice between FULL THROTTLE and FULL BOTTLE. Teams who select FULL THROTTLE must travel on foot or by train to the Mok-dong Ice Rink, change into speed-skating bodysuits, and alternate skating laps of the rink to complete a 24-lap relay to get the next clue. Teams who select FULL BOTTLE must travel on foot or by subway to Namdaemun Market, put on boiler suits, and carry six ginseng roots in glass containers to a nearby pharmacy. After they've delivered all six roots without breaking the jars, they must drink a small bottle of ginseng tonic to get the next clue. Despite Phil's claims to the contrary, teams complete the Detour having done approximate zero investigation into what causes the success of Korea's professional athletes, as follows: 1. Jill & Thomas [Full Throttle] 2. Brook & Claire [Full Throttle, after switching] 3. Nat & Kat [Full Throttle] 4. N/A

Teams are told to travel by taxi to Han Riverside Park, also known as Hangang People's Park (which is what it was called during the visit to the park in The Amazing Race 4), where they must find their next clue beneath a statue of an airplane. They find it: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Nat & Kat 4. N/A The final clue of this penultimate leg directs teams to travel by taxi to the Temple of Heaven. They arrive: 1. Jill & Thomas, who win a five-night trip to Iguaçu Falls, Argentina, courtesy of Travelocity 2. Brook & Claire, who had arrived first but got a 30-minute penalty for taking a taxi to the Detour 3. Nat & Kat 4. Nick & Vicki, who are eventually, finally, mercifully eliminated.

The greeter for this leg:

The Amazing Race 17 – Leg 12: Los Angeles, California

Day 21: Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

After a 12-hour Pit Stop, the final three teams depart from the Temple of Heaven in Seoul, South Korea: 03:57 – Jill & Thomas 04:23 – Brook & Claire [+26 min] 04:27 – Nat & Kat [+30 min]

Teams are directed to fly to their final destination, Los Angeles. When they land, they must take a taxi 37 kilometres (23 miles) to the Port of Long Beach and find Pier J. (The choice of Pier J may be a deliberate reference to The Amazing Race: Family Edition, which had teams finding Porte J at a Montreal location in its season finale.) They receive US$400 for this twelfth and final leg of the race.

All three teams take the same direct Korean Airlines flight, KE017, departing Seoul at 15:24 and arriving in Los Angeles at 10:24 the same morning due to the International Date Line. (The choice of music for the Los Angeles stock footage – Katy Perry's California Gurls [sic] – is odd. Why would you include the section containing the lyric “west coast represent” when California has been seen as either the start or finish of the race (or both) for seven consecutive seasons now? Surely it's been represented enough by now!)

Teams arrive at Pier J: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Brook & Claire

Teams must now make their way to Crane #22, ride an elevator to the top, put on safety harnesses and have their next clue attached, then perform a 150 foot “bungee swing” [sic, both for the spelling of bungy and for mentioning a bungy when there actually is none]. Once they return to dry land, they can open the clue. Teams swing and return to the mainland in the same order they arrived, even though there were enoough swings set up for everybody, as follows: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Brook & Claire

The next clue tells teams to take a taxi 13.6 kilometres (8.5 miles) to the Catalina Air & Sea Heliport and ride a helicopter to a mystery destination. They will not find out until they approach and land that their location is the stadium. When they land, they must run to a nearby cluebox. They reach it: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Brook & Claire

It contains the season's final Road Block, which asks the teams, “Who's bright enough to float?”. The task really isn't much of a mystery, given their location and the fact that they can see it happening as they fly over, but the chosen team member must decorate three sections of the official float of the Tournament of Roses Organization to the satisfaction of the floral director. Once they're done gluing roses to a section at the front of the float, inserting roses into a piece of polystyrene at the side, and painting and glittering a large polystyrene rose in order to make the float presentable enough for the 2011 Tournament of Roses parade, the 2009 Rose Queen will give the teams the next clue. The chosen team members finish: 1. Nat [Nat 6, Kat 5] 2. Thomas [Jill 5, Thomas 7] 3. Brook [Brook 7, Claire 5]

To work out the next location, teams must work out the answers to three questions (Sancho Panza's master; where you would go to hear the Symphony in the Glen; and the number mentioned in Marilyn Monroe's film The Seven-Year Itch), then combine them to work out that they must make their way to Stage 7 at Quixote Studios, 14.4 kilometres (9 miles) away. Teams arrive there: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Brook & Claire 3. Jill & Thomas

The final task of this race involves the fact that “Hollywood game shows have tested people's knowledge of trivia”. Thus explaining why black-and-white screencaps from The Price Is Right are shown, given the show is not a trivia quiz and has been filmed in colour for its duration. The teams must enter the stage, where they'll find a 48 screen videowall with scrolling images of people wearing hats. Eleven are the greeters from the eleven legs of this season, while the remaining 37 contain 35 greeters from previous seasons and two are miscellaneous locals from previous seasons. Using the number graphics attached to each clip to help identify them, teams must correctly identify the eleven greeters, arranging them in the order they appeared throughout the race. Once they've done it correctly, a clue envelope image will appear on the monitor at their solving station, and they can retrieve the final clue from “legendary host” Bob Eubanks. Because apparently Bob Barker wasn't available. Or something. Teams are allowed to use their notes (remember when teams weren't allowed to even make notes?), and finish: 1. Nat & Kat 2. Brook & Claire 3. Jill & Thomas, who are not shown at the task

Just for information's sake, the full list of clips and their corresponding numbers: Sepilok, Malaysia Sydney, Australia Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia 1 2 3 TAR4, Leg 8 TAR2, Leg 8 TAR4, Leg 8 Jaipur, India Stone Town, Zanzibar Accra, Ghana 4 5 6 TAR14, Leg 6 TAR: All Stars, Leg 6 Leg 2 Marrakech, Morocco St. Petersburg, Russia Atlas Mountains, Morocco 7 8 9 TAR 3, Leg 6 Leg 7 TAR10, Leg 10 St. Petersburg, Russia Wargemoulin-Hurlus, France Almaty, Kazakhstan 10 11 12 Leg 6 TAR16, Leg 5 TAR13, Leg 8 Hong Kong, China Istanbul, Turkey Khwai, Botswana 13 14 15 Leg 10 TAR7, Leg 9 TAR7, Leg 7 Seoul, South Korea Dubai, United Arab Emirates Ha Long, Vietnam 16 17 18 TAR4, Leg 10 TAR15, Leg 6 TAR10, Leg 4 Gaachurt, Mongolia Mumbai, India Phoenix, Arizona 19 20 21 TAR10, Leg 2 TAR4, Leg 6 TAR: Family Edition, Leg 7 Jodhpur, India Darwin, Australia El Jem, Tunisia 22 23 24 TAR7, Leg 8 TAR9, Leg 9 TAR1, Leg 4 Moscow, Russia Provence, France Ledbury, England 25 26 27 TAR13, Leg 10 TAR4, Leg 4 Leg 1 Songwe, Zambia Riksgränsen, Sweden Kuwait City, Kuwait 28 29 30 TAR1, Leg 1 Leg 4 TAR10, Leg 6 Doryumu, Ghana Jabrin, Oman Zoutkamp, Netherlands 31 32 33 Leg 3 TAR9, Leg 7 TAR15, Leg 7 George Town, Malaysia Calama, Chile Dhaka, Bangladesh 34 35 TAR16, Leg 8 36 TAR: All Stars, Leg 2 Leg 9 Tea guru from Speed Bump Dubrovnik, Croatia Seoul, South Korea Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso 37 38 39 TAR12, Leg 6 Leg 11 TAR12, Leg 4 Soweto, South Africa Vac, Vietnam Florence, Italy 40 41 TAR7, Leg 5 42 TAR10, Leg 3 TAR12, Leg 7 Assistant from Tribes Detour Muscat, Oman Moscow, Russia Narvik, Norway 43 44 45 Leg 8 TAR13, Leg 9 Leg 5 Giza, Egypt Phnom Penh, Cambodia Venice, Italy 46 47 48 TAR5, Leg 5 TAR15, Leg 4 TAR4, Leg 2

The final clue of the season tells teams to travel 25.6 kilometres (16 miles) to the Finish Line at Greystone Mansion. After “four continents, 30 cities, [and] 32,000 miles”, teams finish: 1. Nat & Kat, who become the first all-female team to win the American version of The Amazing Race (and the third overall) 2. Brook & Claire 3. Jill & Thomas