6 Specific Travel Rules ‘The Amazing Race’ Contestants Must Follow
On The Amazing Race, teams of two travel the world and complete several challenges that often have to do with the history and culture of the countries they’re in. The teams who fall to the back of the pack are eliminated until three remain to race to the finish line. Over the years, CBS has put in place several Amazing Race travel rules to keep the competition fair, safe, challenging, and of course, entertaining. If these rules are broken, contestants face penalties or other consequences. Here are some examples.
‘The Amazing Race’ teams are only allowed 1 pit stop in each leg
Each destination of the race, such as Germany, Austria, and Italy, is considered one “leg.” At the end of each leg is a “pit stop,” where teams meet host Phil Keoghan on a mat and he tells them where they stand in the race. These pit stops are the only times that racers have to rest, eat, shower, etc. The races in their entirety take about three weeks, so it’s very fast-paced, as executive producer Elise Doganieri told People.
“We’re never in a place for very long. They literally fly in, land, do the tasks, have a pit stop, sleep for 12 hours, and then get on a plane, a train, or drive to the next place,” Doganieri said.
Pre-COVID ‘Amazing Race’ contestants had to book their own flights
For many years, Amazing Race teams were responsible for booking their own flights between destinations. This often led to drama as the racers faced delays, missed flights, or other obstacles at the airports. Some teams even nearly ended up on the wrong flights.
However, when the COVID outbreak began, The Amazing Race made some changes to the travel rules in order to mitigate the risk of exposure to the virus. Now, the teams travel via chartered flights or private jets.
Racers had to book tickets for the crew, too
When booking flights, contestants didn’t have only themselves to consider. They also had to book two extra tickets for the crew members that would join their team to document their journey. EP Bertram van Munster told People that teams had to wait until four seats were available before they could book any flight.
So, will The Amazing Race ever get back to that flight booking drama? Last year, Keoghan assured fans that charted flights would not be around forever.
“Hang tight my friend … booking flights will be back as soon as the ‘return to work’ Covid protocols are off our back,” he tweeted in 2022.
An incident led to a rule that ‘Amazing Race’ contestants could not overbook travel
One thing that contestants often did to stay ahead of the competition was book several extra tickets. This sabotaged other teams by making sure they couldn’t find seats on the same plane or even other flights. However, van Munster told People that some teams took it too far, so The Amazing Race had to create a “no overbooking” rule.
“We had one team order over $300,000 worth of tickets for one flight, it was just ridiculous,” van Munster explained. “They would book every flight out of town! So now they can only book one flight — ensuring that’s the flight they want to be on.”
‘The Amazing Race’ teams are forbidden from using a GPS to travel through legs
Remember the days of using paper maps to find a destination instead of following a GPS? The Amazing Race contestants sure do. They are forbidden from using their personal cell phone or GPS to find their next location. This adds a challenge, as racers must be able to follow a map. If they get lost, however, they are able to ask locals for directions and even look up directions on a local’s phone.
Eliminated racers must stick around until the race is over
The Amazing Race seasons are filmed months before they air on television. So, if a team is spotted leaving the race early, it would give away the fact that they have been eliminated. To prevent spoilers, eliminated teams cannot go home until the race is over. But don’t worry — they aren’t forced to stay in stuffy hotel rooms where no one can see them.
“They go to a fun location too,” van Munster told People. “Very often we send them to Lisbon, to Portugal or Costa Rica. So they have a good time … It’s not bad at all to sit by the pool with your friends.”
The Amazing Race has been renewed for season 35, but CBS has yet to announce a release date. Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for more updates. In the meantime, all other seasons are now streaming on Paramount+.
