Amazing Race Trivia
I just started watching TAR this season at the episode where they were in Vietnam so it's been catch-up for me learning the ins and outs of this show like "yield" , "roadblock", etc. Thinking that Wikipedia covers almost every personality and subject under the sun, I checked out what they might have about TAR there and bingo!!! They explain everything about the show which is very helpful, like why no one actually leaves an irritating team mate (like last night I was wondering why Kimberly just didn't leave Rob high and dry at the tomato pile. Many of you longtime fans might really enjoy, give specifics from the various seasons. Here is what they had to say on the rules and penalties... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_race Rules and Penalties All teams must abide by the rules set at the beginning of the race. Failure to do so can result in time penalties, which can negatively affect finishing position in that leg of the race. While the complete set of official rules has not been released to the public, certain rules have been revealed during the various editions of the race: Rules Teams must purchase economy class tickets for airfare. Teams are allowed to be upgraded to first or business class by the airline, as long as they only paid an economy fare (Rob & Brennan and Frank & Margarita, Season 1; Reichen & Chip, Season 4; Ray & Deana, Season 7). Airline tickets must be purchased using the team's credit card (provided by the show), rather than money on hand. The credit card cannot be used for any other purpose. However, in season 8, where the main transportation were automobiles, teams were allowed to purchase gasoline with the card. When teams need to purchase their own tickets, they may not travel on airlines or air routes that have been blacklisted by production, or may be only allowed to fly on airlines within a given white list; this is generally for safety and security reasons, but has also used to prevent teams from finding routes not previously identified by the race planners that would gain considerably more time than expected and leading to teams potentially being more than a day apart. Teams are not allowed contact with known friends, family, and personal acquaintances during the race. However, teams are allowed to stay in contact with and receive help from people they meet during the race, such as a travel agent. (One exception to this rule occurred in Season 3. Teams were offered a cellular phone after completing a detour. As CBS's website explains, "They had the option of making one phone call to their loved ones back home before driving to the chateau. Teams could talk on the phone as long as they wanted, but had to end the call before getting in their cars." <9>) When stated, teams may not help other teams in challenges. (Gretchen said this when she was helped by Uchenna with the boat in Season 7.) Otherwise, teams may assist one another in completing tasks, as seen in Season 8, where many teams had help setting up their tents, and the Linz and Godlewski teams cooperated to complete a Detour. In Season 10, however, a new twist is revealed at the Intersection that one team would be forced to work together with another team in a challenge. Racers are prohibited from smoking during the race.<10> This results in the sometimes cantankerous attitude of some con-*test*-('")ants, such as Ian (Season 3) who quit smoking just prior to the race. For filming purposes, team members are generally required to stay within 20 feet of each other, unless one person is performing a Roadblock.<11> Teams are forbidden from bringing maps, guidebooks, language books, and many electronic devices including cell phones, GPS units, and PDAs, though maps and guidebooks may be purchased during the race from the money they have been given. The teams are otherwise free to carry as much or as little as they deem necessary. Generally, teams will be provided with winter clothing for when they reach cold climates and are not required to includes these articles within their bags. Each team is also given a fanny pack (black with yellow and red stripes, sometimes called "The Amazing Purse") which is not considered part of their luggage (for purposes of the non-elimination penalty in Season 7, Season 8 and Season 9). Teams are to use this pack to keep their passports and official Race documentation and travel forms, and cannot be left behind as with personal belongings. Teams may be forced to submit their backpacks and possessions to searches by production staff at any time and are checked just prior to the start of the race. Additional rules specific for a leg or for a task may be given along with the normal clue that is seen by the audience, provided to racers as a sheet or more of standard typewritten notes that are often seen on the show; these rules are generally not explained to the audience unless a violation of these rules occurs, but teams are required to abide by these additional rules until told otherwise. These rules typically outline driving and air travel restrictions. Penalties and Time Credits Teri and Ian re-fuel their vehicle, after it broke down (Season 3)The standard penalty for minor rule infractions is 30 minutes plus the time advantage gained (if any) by disobeying the rule. This penalty is known to apply in the following cases: Using a prohibited form of transportation. Examples include: Teams take a taxi when a clue specifies to walk (Heather & Eve, Season 3; Reichen & Chip, Season 4) Teams take a taxi or bus when the clue specifies to take a train (Frank & Margarita, Joe & Bill, Season 1; BJ & Tyler, Ray & Yolanda, Season 9<12>). Teams use a form of transportation completely prohibited by the clue (Tom & Terry, Season 10). Taking a shortcut when the clue specifies that a marked course must be followed (Andre & Damon, Season 3). Taking more than one clue from the clue box (Freddy & Kendra, Season 6). Driving away in another team's car (Don & Mary Jean, Season 6). Speeding. If a clue specifies a maximum speed, a team that exceeds that speed receives a penalty (Gary & Dave, Chris & Alex, Season 2). Starting in Season 10, any team arriving last on a non-elimination leg would be "marked for elimination" and (unless they arrive first) thus receive a 30-minute penalty to be applied at the end of the next leg. If a team realizes they performed an infraction of the rules before they move on to the next task or check in, they can go back to the point where the infraction occurred and repeat the task as per the rules without any penalty outside of the time wasted to return to the task, unless their actions have interfered with another team, in which case a penalty is still applied. For example, the Australian Scavenger Hunt Roadblock in Season 2 was initially performed incorrectly by both Blake and Wil, but they redid the Roadblock correctly, and checked in without any additional time penalty. A team that skips a Route Marker or performs a task incorrectly usually does not receive a penalty; rather, the racers will not be able to check in at the Pit Stop and will be told by host Phil Keoghan to complete the missed tasks. Examples include: Derek & Drew missing the last task completely on Leg 11 (Singapore-Vietnam) of Season 3 Both Chip & Kim and Kami & Karli missing the Detour clue on Leg 1 (USA-Uruguay) of Season 5 Meredith & Gretchen missing the Pit Stop clue, and Uchenna & Joyce missing a key instruction in the Roadblock prior to the Pit Stop, on Leg 7 (Botswana) of Season 7. One exception to this was during Season 1, when Dave & Margaretta missed the cluebox at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Through lucky guessing and help from other teams, they were able to reach the Pit Stop, but were assessed a 1-hour penalty. There is a larger penalty for quitting a task voluntarily. In Season 6, Hayden & Aaron quit a Roadblock and received a 4-hour penalty upon arrival at the Pit Stop. In Season 7, Rob & Amber, Ray & Deana, and Meredith & Gretchen each quit their Roadblock on Leg 3 (Chile-Argentina) and received 4-hour penalties that were administered upon the arrival of the next team to the task. In Season 1, Nancy & Emily voluntarily quit a Detour and received an even larger penalty: 24 hours. As no other team has quit a Detour since then, it is unknown whether that larger penalty still exists. If a team's vehicle breaks down through no fault of their own or otherwise becomes inoperable, they may request a replacement vehicle without receiving a time penalty. However, no time credit is given for their wait in this unlucky situation. (See The Amazing Race 2 Trivia). Sometimes, teams are delayed by production difficulties. In early seasons, several teams were awarded time credits because of such difficulties. However, in Season 8, two teams were stopped because of drained batteries and didn't receive time credits. The exact conditions that determine whether or not a time credit is awarded are unknown. During Season 4 in Leg 11: Jon and Al had attempted to get on the same flight as the other 3 teams, which had available economy seating and with plenty of time before the flight left. However, computer problems at the airport prevented their production-issued credit card from being accepted for flight tickets, and they were unable to make that flight, and had to take a flight about 2 hours later. Upon arrival, the other 3 teams were held up by production at the destination airport until the next flight carrying Jon and Al arrived. Production, at that time, was unsure if the credit card issue was their fault, or something outside their control, and thus, had held the teams until production could confer with all parties involved to determine who was at fault. In the end, production determined that the fault was not theirs but a fault at the airport, and thus no time credit was ultimately given; Jon and Al were then told to wait the same amount of time that the other teams were held up. Logically, if the error was production's fault, all teams would have been let go at the same time.<13> There are also penalties that are given out but do not affect the placement of the teams, only the time they start the next leg. These are unmentioned in the show, but can sometimes be determined from visual clues at the check-in time and the start for that team in the next leg. A team that has performed any of the above infractions but nonetheless checks in last at an elimination Pit Stop is not assessed a penalty, due to the obvious redundancy of such an act. Examples include: Lake & Michelle (Season 9, after taking bus to a destination when the clue specified a train) Kellie & Jamie (Season 10, after voluntarily quitting a Roadblock when realizing that they were already in last place) Most penalties are applied when the offending team arrives at the Pit Stop, regardless of where the penalty occurred during the leg; Phil will ask the team to step off to the side and wait out their penalty while other teams may check-in before them. The 4 hour penalty for voluntarily quitting a Roadblock when there is at least one other team behind you is taken once the next team arrives at the Roadblock, as opposed to being assessed at the Pit Stop. If there is no other team behind them, the 4 hours is assessed at the Pit Stop instead. Penalties can be applied after all teams have checked in, after the production team has had a chance to review all materials provided by the teams and the A/V crew at check-in. The most notable example of this was during Season 3 when Heather and Eve, while arriving at the pit stop 1st, violated the last clue's requirement to walk to the pit stop and instead took a taxi. The crew at the pit stop was unaware of the rule breakage until some point after Heather and Eve checked in; during the aired episode, Phil is shown telling all teams in an obvious voice-over that they were "the nth team to arrive", instead of the usual "you are team number n". After the last team arrived, the episode then cut to a scene filmed some time after the check-in, where Phil explained the penalty against Heather and Eve, and informed them that due to the standard penalty (30 minutes plus time saved), they would have checked in last, and thus were eliminated from the race instead of the last-arriving team.