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There are sets of rules and punishments on every CBS reality competition series, including The Amazing Race. Producers need to have steps and actions in place for any scenario, especially when their show has been on the air for over 20 years. But what happens if and when a team breaks the rules in The Amazing Race?

Phil Keoghan, the host of 'The Amazing Race' on CBS, which includes many rules, wears a black coat.
Phil Keoghan | Photo by Michele Crowe/CBS via Getty Images

What are some rules teams have to follow in ‘The Amazing Race’?

There are numerous rules that The Amazing Race contestants have to abide by while filming. For example, in recent seasons, teams aren’t allowed to communicate off-camera. Perhaps this rule came about after the outcry from fans regarding the Mine Five alliance in The Amazing Race Season 32.

Other regulations include:

  • Each member has to complete the same number of Roadblocks by the end of the season
  • Racers are not allowed to barter with locals if they’ve spent all their money
  • They have to follow their clues to a tee
  • Teams have to complete each task before moving on to the next one — unless it’s a Scramble
  • Both teammates have to be on the mat for host Phil Keoghan to check them in
  • Contestants can have no communication with their families or friends
  • Pairs can ask for help from locals, but they have to agree to sign a release to appear on camera
  • Every racer must have their passports on their person at all times
  • Teams have to abide by the rules of the country they are in
  • Contestants are allowed to switch Detours at any time
  • Once someone declares they’re doing a Roadblock, they have to finish it — their partner can’t do it for them or help them
  • Teams cannot interfere with other pairs

And these are only a handful of the rules in The Amazing Race. There are many more that contestants have to learn before filming begins.

There are penalties for racers who don’t abide by the rules

There are repercussions if a team breaks the rules in The Amazing Race. Aside from blatant cheating, most infractions result in time penalties. As The Amazing Race Wiki page points out, penalties are cumulative and enacted at the pit stop.

For example, if a pair fails to complete the Roadblock, they will incur a four-hour penalty. If they skip the Detour, it’s six hours. Once they reach the pit stop, Phil Keoghan won’t check them in and will inform them of their time penalty. Then, they’ll have to wait nearby, serve their time, and then the host can officially check them in.

By that time, the rest of the teams might have already finished. So pairs have to take time penalties very seriously.

Failure to complete a task results in one of the more significant punishments. For minor errors, most racers will suffer a 15-minute or 30-minute penalty. These are usually caused by not following specific details in their clues, using the wrong mode of transportation, or interfering with other teams.

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Examples of when a team broke the rules in ‘The Amazing Race’

Multiple teams have failed to abide by the rules throughout the 34 seasons of The Amazing Race. While some chose not to complete a task, others might have accidentally not followed their clues. Or one of the most popular penalties over the years comes from contestants losing their passports.

For example, Becca Droz and Floyd Pierce tried to check in at the pit stop in The Amazing Race 29 but failed to realize that Floyd’s passport was missing. They ran around trying to find it, and once they did, they narrowly escaped elimination.

As for a time penalty example, Flight Time and Big Easy had to incur a 30-minute one when they took Ron and Christina Hsu’s fanny pack in The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business.

The Amazing Race Season 34 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

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