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Season of television series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Amazing Race 12 is the twelfth season of American reality competition show The Amazing Race. Hosted by Phil Keoghan, it featured eleven teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, competing in a race around the world in order to win US$1,000,000. This season visited four continents and ten countries and traveled over 30,000 miles (48,000 km). Starting in Los Angeles, racers traveled through Ireland, the Netherlands, Burkina Faso, Lithuania, Croatia, Italy, India, Japan, and Taiwan before returning to the United States and finishing in Anchorage. New twists introduced in this season include the U-Turn, which replaced the Yield and allowed one team to force another team to perform both Detour tasks on a leg, and a new non-elimination leg penalty called the Speed Bump, which is an extra task that the team who finished last had to perform on the subsequent leg. The season premiered on CBS on November 4, 2007, and the finale aired on January 20, 2008.
| The Amazing Race 12 | |
|---|---|
| Season 12 | |
Region 1 DVD cover | |
| Presented by | Phil Keoghan |
| No. of teams | 11 |
| Winner | TK Erwin & Rachel Rosales |
| No. of legs | 11 |
| Distance traveled | 30,000 mi (48,000 km) |
| No. of episodes | 11[1] |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | November 4, 2007[2] – January 20, 2008 |
| Additional information | |
| Filming dates | July 8[citation needed] – July 29, 2007[3] |
| Season chronology | |
Newly dating couple TK Erwin and Rachel Rosales were the winners of this season, while father and daughter Ronald and Christina Hsu finished in second place, and grandson and grandfather Nicolas Fulks and Donald Jerousek finished in third place.
In May 2007, CBS confirmed The Amazing Race was picked up for a twelfth season. It was originally to be scheduled in the mid-season of the 2007–08 TV season.[4] However, when Viva Laughlin was canceled in October, The Amazing Race 12 debuted early to take the time slot.[5]
The Amazing Race 12 spanned 30,000 miles (48,000 km) in 21 days. The season covered four continents, visiting ten countries (five of which were not previously visited by the series), while traveling entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. The newly visited countries were Ireland, Burkina Faso, Lithuania, Croatia, and Taiwan. The shortened filming schedule was initially attributed, in part, to the removal of non-elimination legs, which would have been a first on The Amazing Race.[1] However, host Phil Keoghan told Kynt & Vyxsin in the seventh leg that there were two non-elimination legs this season.
This season introduced two new twists to The Amazing Race: the U-Turn and the Speed Bump. Positioned just after a Detour, the U-Turn allowed one team to force another team behind them to complete both sides of the Detour.[6] The Speed Bump was a penalty task for a team that finished last in a non-elimination leg, and had to be completed during the next leg in addition to other tasks. The U-Turn and the Speed Bump each occurred in two episodes of The Amazing Race 12.
Two days after the series premiere, CBS launched an Amazing Race page on social networking site Facebook via Facebook Ads.[7] The site contained interactive contents such as maps, trivia, a travel log, and prizes. The site also included a tie-in with the Where I've Been application.
This season's eleven teams included married lesbian ministers, dating Goths, and siblings. Executive producer Bertram van Munster felt that "it was not intentional" for casting to leave out young-male teams commonly found in past seasons. He also said that it was pure coincidence for 15 of 22 racers to be residents of California.[1]
During The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business, Christina Hsu revealed that she was engaged to Azaria Azene. They married in March 2011.[8]
| Contestants | Age | Relationship | Hometown | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ari Bonias | 21 | Best Friends | Fountain Valley, California | Eliminated 1st (in Clifden, Ireland) |
| Staella Gianakakos | 23 | |||
| Kate Lewis | 49 | Married Ministers | Thousand Oaks, California | Eliminated 2nd (in Durgerdam, Netherlands) |
| Pat Hendrickson | 65 | |||
| Marianna Ruiz | 25 | Sisters | Miami, Florida | Eliminated 3rd (in Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso) |
| Julia Ruiz | 26 | |||
| Lorena Segura | 27 | Dating | Sherman Oaks, California | Eliminated 4th (in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso) |
| Jason Widener | 33 | |||
| Shana Wall | 32 | Friends | Los Angeles, California | Eliminated 5th (in Rumšiškės, Lithuania) |
| Jennifer McCall | 32 | |||
| Azaria Azene | 27 | Brother & Sister | New Orleans, Louisiana | Eliminated 6th (in Dubrovnik, Croatia) |
| Hendekea Azene | 23 | Torrance, California | ||
| Kynt Cothron | 31 | Dating Goths | Louisville, Kentucky | Eliminated 7th (in Mumbai, India) |
| Vyxsin Fiala | 29 | |||
| Nathan Hagstrom | 24 | Dating | Fountain Valley, California | Eliminated 8th (in Taipei, Taiwan) |
| Jennifer Parker | 23 | Huntington Beach, California | ||
| Nicolas Fulks | 23 | Grandson & Grandfather | Chicago, Illinois | Third place |
| Donald Jerousek | 68 | Elkhorn, Wisconsin | ||
| Ronald Hsu | 58 | Father & Daughter | Tacoma, Washington | Runners-up |
| Christina Hsu | 26 | Washington, D.C. | ||
| TK Erwin | 22 | Newly Dating | Huntington Beach, California | Winners |
| Rachel Rosales | 23 |
After the season ended, Kynt & Vyxsin applied for third season of The Amazing Race Asia but were turned down by producer Michael McKay due to their prior Amazing Race experience. Their audition was shown on the "Racers Revealed" episode of the season.[9] Kynt & Vyxsin and Ronald & Christina competed again on The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business, with Kynt having changed his name to Kent.[10]
The following teams are listed with their placements in each leg. Placements are listed in finishing order.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TK & Rachel | 3rd | 6th | 2nd | 7th | 1st | 4th | 4th | 1st | 4th‡ | 2nd | 1st |
| Ronald & Christina | 7th | 9th | 5th | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 2nd |
| Nicolas & Donald | 5th | 8th | 6th | 4th | 6th | 5th | 1stƒ[a] | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd |
| Nathan & Jennifer | 10th | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 5th | 3rd[b] | 2nd | 4th | 2nd | 4th† | |
| Kynt & Vyxsin | 2nd | 4th | 4th | 5th | 2nd | 2nd | 5th‡ | 5th† | |||
| Azaria & Hendekea | 1st | 5th | 1st | 1st | 4th | 6th† | |||||
| Shana & Jennifer | 6th | 3rd | 7th | 6th⊃[c] | 7th† | ||||||
| Lorena & Jason | 4th | 1st | 8th | 8th†⊂[c] | |||||||
| Marianna & Julia | 9th | 7th | 9th† | ||||||||
| Kate & Pat | 8th | 10th† | |||||||||
| Ari & Staella | 11th† | ||||||||||
| Destinations |  Air travel  Rail travel  Water travel  Bus travel  Helicopter travel  Bicycle travel  Gondola travel |
|---|---|
| Route Markers |  Detour  Roadblock  Fast Forward  U-Turn  Speed Bump  Pit Stop |
Los Angeles (Los Angeles International Airport) → Shannon, Ireland Rossaveal → Cill Rónáin Cill Rónáin → Rossaveal (Rossaveal Ferry Port) Cleggan (Cleggan Farm) In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to pedal a high-wire bicycle across a ravine, suspended almost 200 feet (60 m) above the North Atlantic, in order to reach their next clue. Their partner, sitting eight feet (2.4 m) below, was taken along for the ride.
Shannon → Amsterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam (Amsterdam Centraal Station) Amsterdam → Ransdorp (Rural Field) Durgerdam (Durgerdam Yacht Club) This season's first Detour was a choice between Hoist It or Hunt It. In Hoist It, teams had to use a traditional rope-and-pulley system to hoist five pieces of furniture up to an apartment in order to receive their next clue. In Hunt It, teams had to travel on foot several blocks to the Fietsflat bicycle parking lot and search through thousands of bicycles for two tagged with the specific color designated in their clue. After finding their bicycles, teams had to ride them five miles (8.0 km) to an attendant, who gave them their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to play a sport called fierljeppen, which involved completing a 12-foot (3.7 m) vault across an irrigation ditch and landing on both feet in the marshy grass. Once racers completed the vault correctly, they could pick up their clue and vault back to their partner.
Amsterdam → Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Ouagadougou (Gare de Ouagadougou (in French)) → Bingo In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to milk a camel and collect the milk in a dried gourd. Once they had enough milk, they had to drink the milk in order to receive their next clue. If team members were unable to obtain enough milk from their chosen camel, they had to wait until everyone who could complete the task had left before switching camels. This leg's Detour was a choice between Teach It or Learn It. In Teach It, teams had to teach a schoolchild, who did not speak English, ten English words. When a local teacher was satisfied that the child could recite the words, teams received their next clue. In Learn It, teams had to learn ten words in the local Moré language from a schoolchild and then recite the words in a test to a local teacher in order to receive their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Shake Your Pans or Shake Your Booty. In Shake Your Pans, teams had to use traditional methods to pan for one troy ounce (31 g) of gold that they could trade for their next clue. In Shake Your Booty, teams had to learn a traditional local dance and perform it with Winiama masked dancers for a crowd of locals. Teams only had one attempt, and if the three judges felt that a team lacked creativity or had a bad performance, they incurred a 10-minute penalty. After successfully performing the dance or waiting out the penalty, teams received their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to load a large amount of cumbersome goods, including a small goat, onto a bicycle and then deliver the goods to a nearby market in order to receive their next clue directing them to the Pit Stop: the Hôtel de Ville in Ouagadougou. Shana & Jennifer chose to use the U-Turn on Lorena & Jason.
Ouagadougou → Vilnius, Lithuania In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to choose a local Lithuanian woman working in the Narutis courtyard, who gave them a basket and told them whom to take it to the Vilnius University Courtyard. After traveling on foot through the confusing streets of the Vilnius Old Town and delivering their basket, they were then handed a book and one of four final destinations: Gabi Kavine, Saint Germain Restaurant, Hair Salon Sidabrynas, or the Shakespeare Hotel. When the delivery was made to the correct location, they received their next clue. This leg's Detour at a traditional Midsummer's Festival was a choice between Count Down or Step Up. In Count Down, teams had to correctly count a marked section of picket fence and give their count to a villager in order to receive their next clue. In Step Up, both team members had to walk on stilts along a marked course to the finish line without falling in order to receive their next clue.
Vilnius → Dubrovnik, Croatia In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to find one of eight stones out of 150 that could fit into the rock wall at the fort being rebuilt from the Croatian War of Independence in order to receive their next clue. This leg's Detour was a choice between Short & Long or Long & Short. In Short & Long, teams had to rappel down the walls of Fort Bokar and follow a marked path to a wall, where they had to finish assembling a rope ladder that they could use to scale the wall.[12] They then had to travel on foot a long distance through the confusing old-quarter streets to Trg Oružja in order to find their next clue. In Long & Short, teams had to tandem zip-line from the fort, swim to a floating platform, and then row a fishing boat around the city walls to a flagged harbor. They then had to travel on foot a short distance to Trg Oružja in order to find their next clue.
Dubrovnik → Split Split → Ancona, Italy (Ancona Ferry Terminal) In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to fly over Tuscany in an ultralight and scan a six-mile (10 km) radius of the countryside for the name of their next destination: Vinci. If team members thought they spotted the word, they had to signal their pilot to land. Once on the ground, they had to tell the instructor the word, and if they were correct, he handed them their next clue. There was a thirty-minute time limit per flight, after which the ultralight had to land for refueling. In this season's only Fast Forward, one team had to drive to Fabio Studio and have a permanent tattoo inked onto their arms: the letters ƒƒ. Nicolas & Donald won the Fast Forward. This leg's Detour was a choice between Invention or Tradition. In Invention, teams traveled to a nearby courtyard and chose a replica of a centuries-old crane designed by Leonardo da Vinci. They had to first assemble the crane and then use it to lift a large stone one foot (30 cm) off the ground. They then had to place a mirror underneath in order to read the clue printed on the bottom of the stone. In Tradition, teams traveled to the Piazza Guido Masi, where they had to learn and correctly perform a traditional local flag throwing routine in order to receive a flag displaying the name of their next destination.
Florence → Mumbai, India For their Speed Bump, Kynt & Vyxsin had to find the yoga master at Dariya Mahal and successfully perform a series of yoga poses before they could continue racing. This leg's Detour was a choice between Paste 'Em or Thread 'Em. In Paste 'Em, teams had to travel to a marked underpass beneath the Dadar West Bridge and use provided supplies to properly paste a six-panel Bollywood movie poster onto the wall in order to receive their next clue. In Thread 'Em, teams had to travel to the Dadar Flower Market, find a marked flower stall, and create a traditional wedding garland by threading 108 flowers in a particular pattern. When the judge approved the garland, teams had to deliver it to a nearby bridegroom, who gave them their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to load a bicycle cart with six tanks of propane gas, pedal to two addresses listed on their order slips, deliver three tanks to each address, and collect receipts as proof of delivery. Once their deliveries were complete, they had to hand their two order slips and receipts to the foreman in order to receive their next clue directing them to the Pit Stop: Bandra Fort. Kynt & Vyxsin attempted to use the U-Turn on Nicolas & Donald; however, Nicolas & Donald had already passed the U-Turn by this point and were therefore unaffected.
Mumbai → Osaka, Japan In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to drive a Japanese couple five miles (8 km) through a maze of confusing one-way streets to a specified address: the Osaka Central Post Office. They could stop and ask for directions, but could not invite a local to lead them or join them in the car, nor could the couple help them. Once they arrived at the post office, the couple handed them their next clue; however, they had to return to their teammate before they could read the clue. This leg's Detour was a choice between Sense of Touch or Sense of Smell. In Sense of Touch, teams traveled on foot to the Shimojima Building and had to use miniature robots, controlled by cell phones, to play a game of soccer against two robotic defenders. Once each team member scored a goal, the referee gave them their next clue. In Sense of Smell, teams traveled on foot to the Saera Flower Shop, which only sold artificial flowers. Once there, they had to use only their noses to find one real flower, hidden amongst thousands of artificial flowers, in order to receive their next clue.
Osaka → Taipei, Taiwan Taipei → Taichung Taichung → Taipei In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to ride in a car driven by a professional stunt driver, who maneuvered the vehicle onto a giant teeter-totter and then rocked back and forth precariously 25 feet (7.5 m) above the ground. Afterwards, they switched to an amphibious car, donned a pair of goggles, and had to hold their breath while they were driven underwater for seventeen seconds before receiving their next clue. For their Speed Bump, TK & Rachel had to find Heping Elementary School, don protective gear, run through a barrage of fireworks, and then get doused with water before they could continue racing. This leg's Detour was a choice between Fire or Earth. In Fire, teams would have traveled to Zhongzheng Park to participate in a mystical Chinese ritual by writing messages of luck on Kongming lanterns. Once a team had sent twenty lanterns into the air, they would have received their next clue. In Earth, teams traveled to Youth Park, where they had to walk barefoot down a 220-foot (67 m) path made of jagged stones, turn around, and then walk back to the start in order to receive their next clue. All teams chose Earth.
Taipei → Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage (Twentymile River → Twenty-Mile Glacier) Anchorage (Twenty-Mile Glacier → Merrill Field) This season's final Detour was a choice between Cut the Cod or Grab the Crab. In Cut the Cod, teams had to cut through several 50-pound (23 kg) lingcod and search for a miniature clue hidden inside one of the fish. In Grab the Crab, teams had to jump into the hold of a boat swarming with over 500 live crabs. They then had to search through the crabs for one marked with Amazing Race colors in order to receive their next clue. In this season's final Roadblock, one team member found a field of objects that they had encountered along the racecourse. They had to match 10 of 15 recognizable items to their respective legs, but the combination of items had to meet the following requirements. Only one combination of items satisfied the conditions and opened the clue box, allowing racers to retrieve their next clue.
| Leg | Country | Objects |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland | Tandem Bicycle |
| 2 | Netherlands | Bicycle |
| 3 | Burkina Faso | Camel Milk |
| 4 | Chicken | |
| 5 | Lithuania | Stilts |
| 6 | Croatia | Croatian Gun |
| 7 | Italy | BlackBerry |
| 8 | India | U-Turn Board |
| 9 | Japan | Janitor |
| 10 | Taiwan | Tea |
The first five teams eliminated were sequestered at a villa in Portugal to await the finale. Subsequently, eliminated teams telephoned to inform the teams at the villa of their elimination, but continued to run the race as decoys to throw off potential spoilers. The sequestered teams met up with the decoy teams in the final destination city to cheer on the final three teams as they crossed the Finish Line.
CBS posted short videos on its website after each episode aired in the Pacific Time Zone, which showed the eliminated teams interacting at the villa.
The Amazing Race 12 received positive reviews. Linda Holmes of Television Without Pity called it a good season.[14] Heather Havrilesky of Salon was positive towards this season's cast writing "there are some pretty amusing teams this season".[15] In 2016, this season was ranked 6th out of the first 27 seasons by the Rob Has a Podcast Amazing Race correspondents.[16] In 2021, Jane Andrews of Gossip Cop ranked this season as the show's 9th best season.[17] Val Barone of TheThings ranked this season as the show's 3rd best season.[18] In 2024, Rhenn Taguiam of Game Rant ranked this season 11th out of 36.[19]
| Order | Episode | Rating/Share (18-49) |
Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Donkeys Have Souls, Too" | — | 13.82 |
| 2 | "I've Become the Archie Bunker of the Home" | 3.1/8[20] | 10.48 |
| 3 | "Please, Lord, Give Me Milk" | 3.8/9[21] | 11.86 |
| 4 | "Let's Name Our Chicken Phil" | — | 11.80 |
| 5 | "We Really Burned Bridges, For Sure" | 3.4/8[22] | 11.26 |
| 6 | "Cherry on Top of the Sundae That's Already Melted" | 3.8/9[23] | 11.95 |
| 7 | "This is Forever, Now" | 2.8/8[24] | 8.97 |
| 8 | "Honestly, They Have Witch Powers or Something" | 2.5/6[25] | 9.69 |
| 9 | "I Just Hope He Doesn't Croak On Us" | — | 11.99 |
| 10 | "Sorry, Guys, I'm Not Happy to See You" | 3.8/9[26] | 11.65 |
| 11 | "The Final Push" | 3.1/7[27] | 9.75 |
| # | Episode | Viewers (millions) |
Rank (Overall) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Donkeys Have Souls, Too" | 2.14 | #8[28] |
| 2 | "I've Become the Archie Bunker of the Home" | 2.03 | #7 |
| 3 | "Please, Lord, Give Me Milk" | 2.09 | #9 |
| 4 | "Let's Name Our Chicken Phil" | 1.86 | #10 |
| 5 | "We Really Burned Bridges, For Sure" | 2.10 | #9 |
| 6 | "Cherry on Top of the Sundae That's Already Melted" | 2.02 | #5 |
| 7 | "This is Forever, Now" | 1.32 | #12 |
| 8 | "Honestly, They Have Witch Powers or Something" | 1.62 | #1 |
| 9 | "I Just Hope He Doesn't Croak On Us" | 1.71 | #4 |
| 10 | "Sorry, Guys, I'm Not Happy to See You" | 1.85 | #5 |
| 11 | "The Final Push" | 2.04 | #3 |
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