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In reality competition series like The Amazing Race, producers have to set rules. It’s a game, so they have to regulate it because of the various circumstances that can occur. And one event that The Amazing Race fans wonder about is if two teams hypothetically arrive at the pit stop at the same time.

Phil Keoghan, who hosts 'The Amazing Race' Season 34 on CBS, stands at the pit stop for leg four next to a woman from Jordan. The woman wears a patterned orange and red dress with flowers on it and a tan hat. Phil wears a light red, white, and gray plaid button-up long-sleeved shirt and tan hat.
Phil Keoghan | Photo: CBS

Rules are in place if multiple ‘The Amazing Race’ teams arrive at the pit stop at the same time

Thankfully, The Amazing Race has a wiki page that compiles all of the rules and penalties from the CBS series. And one of the bullet points reveals how The Amazing Race producers determine teams’ placements if they simultaneously check into the pit stop.

If two or more pairs step on the mat at the same time, the order is determined by the last leg. So, for example, if Team A and Team B tie in Leg Y, but Team A previously finished in first place in Leg X, and Team B came in second place, then Team A gets the higher placement in Leg Y.

However, sometimes a photo finish will break a tie. So even if it’s by a milli-second, if Team A stepped on the mat first, they beat Team B.

In the earlier seasons, if two pairs were tied on the mat, they shared that placement. So if Team A and Team B arrived in third place, they were both third. It’s unknown when The Amazing Race made this rule change. But the last time teams were allowed to tie was in season 4.

There was an exception in The Amazing Race Season 11 when Oswald Mendez and Danny Jimenez and Uchenna and Joyce Agu both finished in first place in leg eight. However, only one team could get the prize, and Oswald and Danny let Uchenna and Joyce get it.

Have multiple pairs ever simultaneously checked into the pit stop in ‘The Amazing Race’?

Other than Oswald, Danny, Uchenna, and Joyce in The Amazing Race Season 11, there have been a few different times when teams arrived at the pit stop at the same time.

Some instances include the first and fourth legs in season 4, the Burkina Faso leg in season 12, the second leg in season 24, and the fourth leg in season 28.

In every instant except for The Amazing Race Season 4, producers determined each team’s placement by the previous leg. For instance, eight of the nine remaining teams in The Amazing Race Season 28 checked into the pit stop simultaneously for the fourth leg. And their placements in the third leg decided their spots in the fourth leg.

Related

Why ‘The Amazing Race’ Rules Prohibit Teams From Communicating Off-Camera

What are some of the other rules?

Teams have to follow many rules in The Amazing Race. Otherwise, they are hit with time penalties.

Some rules include:

  • Teams cannot communicate with each other off-camera
  • Racers cannot contact their friends or families unless there is an emergency
  • Teams are allowed to ask for help from locals, but the locals have to sign a release form to appear on camera
  • Racers aren’t allowed to barter
  • They must have their passports with them at all times
  • Both team members have to be on the mat for host Phil Keoghan to check them in

The Amazing Race Season 34 airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

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