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Season of television series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is the first season of Amazing Race Suomi (English: Amazing Race Finland), a Finnish reality competition show based on the American series The Amazing Race. Hosted by Heikki Paasonen, it featured twelve teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship and including at least one celebrity contestant, in a race around Southeast Asia to win €30,000.[1] This season visited two continents and seven countries and travelled over 26,000 kilometres (16,000 mi) during twelve legs. Starting in Helsinki, racers travelled through Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore before returning to Finland and finishing in Helsinki. The season premiered on 30 September 2023 on Nelonen and concluded on 16 December.
| Amazing Race Suomi | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
 | |
| Presented by | Heikki Paasonen |
| No. of days | 24 |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Winner | Kaisa Mäkäräinen & Mari Eder |
| No. of legs | 12 |
| Distance traveled | 26,000 km (16,000 mi) |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nelonen |
| Original release | 30 September – 16 December 2023 |
| Additional information | |
| Filming dates | 24 July – 16 August 2023 |
| Season chronology | |
Friends and biathletes Kaisa Mäkäräinen and Mari Eder won this season, while father-son duo Tuukka & Sami Ritokoski finished in second place, and friends and work partners Janne Lehtonen and Robin Hendry finished in third place.[2]
Finnish television network Nelonen held talks with Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri for years on how they could make The Amazing Race format in Finland. After the rights were secured, Moskito Television obtained Jesse McDonald, a producer who had travelled internationally for almost 20 years with the original show, as an executive producer.[3]
The casting for the celebrity teams of the first season finished in early 2023. On 12 April 2023, it was announced that filming would occur during the summer with contestants traveling around the world.[1] On 25 May 2023, it was announced that Heikki Paasonen would host the show, filming of which would start in late July.[4][5] On 24 July 2023, the teams were announced as the race began from Töölönlahti.[6] Filming lasted for roughly four weeks and concluded on 16 August 2023 back in Helsinki, Finland.[7]
The first trailer of the first season was released on 29 August, which featured a sneak peek about the season, some tasks and locations.[8]
Sponsors for this season include CamelBak, Fjällräven, Free bug repellent, HAI Group, Jack Wolfskin, Makia, Rela tablets and Superdry.[9] The participants' backpacks advert OP Pohjola, a Finnish bank service.
Each team is composed of two individuals who have some type of relationship to each other. In the first season, there are 12 Finnish celebrity teams competing.[6][10][11] Green League MP Fatim Diarra was asked to participate but declined.[12]
| Contestants | Notability | Age | Relationship | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Perho | Author | 52 | Mother & Son | Eliminated 1st (in Bangkok, Thailand) |
| Atte Lehtiniittu | — | 22 | ||
| Aino-Kaisa Pekonen | Member of Parliament | 44 | Work Partners | Eliminated 2nd (in Phuket, Thailand) |
| Silvia Modig | Member of the European Parliament | 46 | ||
| Lotta Hintsa | Miss Finland 2013 | 34 | Sisters | Medically removed (in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) |
| Noora Hintsa | — | 32 | ||
| Katariina Kaitue | Actress | 56 | Mother & Son | Eliminated 4th (in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) |
| Benjamin Harima | — | 29 | ||
| Jukka Rasila | Donald Duck voice actor | 53 | Cohabiting Couple | Eliminated 5th (in Manila, Philippines) |
| Mirva Nieminen | — | 45 | ||
| Ilmari Nurminen | Member of Parliament | 32 | Couple | Eliminated 6th (in Pampanga, Philippines) |
| Aapo Hettula | — | 30 | ||
| Peter Vesterbacka | Developer of Angry Birds | 55 | Mentor & Mentee | Eliminated 7th (in Yogyakarta, Indonesia) |
| Thy "Anna" Nguyen | — | 18 | ||
| Marcus Grönholm | WRC drivers' champion | 55 | Friends | Eliminated 8th (in Yogyakarta, Indonesia) |
| Timo Rautiainen | WRC co-drivers' champion | 58 | ||
| Bakari Diarra | Entrepreneur, Vitunleija | 25 | Friends | Eliminated 9th (in George Town, Malaysia) |
| Samuel Chime | Social media personality | 24 | ||
| Janne Lehtonen | Head Instructor on Erikoisjoukot | 40 | Friends | Third place |
| Robin Hendry | Instructor on Erikoisjoukot | 37 | ||
| Tuukka Ritokoski | Radio presenter on Radio Suomipop | 28 | Father & Son | Runners-up |
| Sami Ritokoski | — | 58 | ||
| Kaisa Mäkäräinen | Biathlete | 40 | Friends | Winners |
| Mari Eder | Biathlete & Cross-country skier | 35 |
The following teams are listed with their placements in each leg. Placements are listed in finishing order.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4[a] | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaisa & Mari | 3rd | 2nd | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 4th‡ | 2nd | 1st |
| Tuukka & Sami | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 6th | 6th | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd |
| Janne & Robin | 9th | 7th | 6th | 2nd | 4th | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 3rd |
| Bakari & Samuel | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 4th | 4th | 4th | 4th | 1st | 4th† | |
| Marcus & Timo | 4th | 4th | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 6th | 5th | 5th | 5th† | |||
| Peter & Anna | 6th | 6th | 5th | 5th | 7th | 5th | 6th‡ | 6th† | ||||
| Ilmari & Aapo | 10th | 10th | 8th | 8th‡ | 5th | 7th† | ||||||
| Jukka & Mirva | 8th | 8th | 7th | 7th | 8th† | |||||||
| Katariina & Benjamin | 11th | 9th | 9th† | |||||||||
| Lotta & Noora | 5th | 5th | †[b] | |||||||||
| Aino-Kaisa & Silvia | 7th | 11th† | ||||||||||
| Anna & Atte | 12th† | |||||||||||
| Destinations |  Air travel  Rail travel  Water travel  Bus travel  Helicopter travel  Bicycle travel  Gondola travel |
|---|---|
| Route Markers |  Kiertotie (Detour)  Tiesulku (Roadblock)  Hidaste (Speed Bump)  Etapin päätepiste (Pit Stop) |
Helsinki (Helsinki–Vantaa Airport) → Bangkok, Thailand (Suvarnabhumi Airport) Bangkok (Pak Khlong Talat) In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to find a wrapped paper instructing them to receive their next clue inside one of the hundreds of bells at Wat Saket. This season's first Detour was a choice between Flowers (Kukat ) or Cartons (Kennot ). In Flowers, teams had to string flowers in order to make two phuang malais and receive their next clue. In Cartons, teams had to deliver 20 cartons of intact chicken eggs to a vendor and eat a century egg in order to receive their next clue.
Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) → Phuket (Phuket International Airport) This leg's Detour was a choice between Cutting (Hakkuu) or Sand (Hiekka). In Cutting, teams had to use hammers to crack open coconuts until they found one with red dye in order to receive their next clue. In Sand, teams had to dig in a marked area of beach until they found a miniature wooden turtle in order to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to remain still for 10 minutes while balancing a stack of coins on their backhands and head in order to receive their next clue directing them to the Pit Stop at Sai Kaew Beach; otherwise they had to start the task again.
Phuket (Phuket International Airport) → Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Tan Son Nhat International Airport) This leg's Detour was a choice between Paddle (Mela) or Sling (Linko). In Paddle, teams had to paddle a basket boat and retrieve ten specifically coloured coconuts from a pond in order to receive their next clue. In Sling, teams had to play a folk game called ném còn and throw a toy through a hoop in order to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to make a clay bowl using a potter's wheel in order to receive their next clue directing them to the Pit Stop: Bình An Wharf..jpg)
Ho Chi Minh City (Bình An Wharf → Bạch Đằng Wharf) In this leg's Roadblock, teams had to travel to Ốc Chị Em Restaurant, where one team member had to eat a plate of mealworms, grasshoppers, silkworms, a scorpion, a tarantula and cobra in order to receive their next clue. This leg's Detour was a choice between Kicks (Potkut ) or Rhythms (Rytmit ). In Kicks, teams had to play đá cầu, a game similar to hacky sack and Vietnam's national sport, and volley a shuttlecock six times in order to receive their next clue. In Rhythms, teams had to perform a lion dance drum routine in order to receive their next clue.
Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat International Airport) → Manila, Philippines (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to go inside a snake exhibit and figure out within five minutes that four boxes corresponded to a combination needed to open a locked box containing their next clue; otherwise, they had to wait out a time penalty before trying again. This leg's Detour was a choice between Screws (Ruuvit ) or Pots (Ruukut ). In Screws, teams had to correctly assemble a scooter so that it matched an example in order to receive their next clue. In Pots, teams had to perform a banga dance, which involved balancing a stack of two banga pots on their heads without dropping them, in order to receive their next clue.
Pandacaqui (Plaza Pandacaqui Oval) Buenavista (Rice Fields) or Cawayan (Cawayan Basketball Court) Arayat (Gintung Pakpak Eco Park) In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to fly in an ultralight plane and hit a target below on the ground with one of two colored bags in order to receive their next clue; otherwise, they had to go to the back of the line before trying again. This leg's Detour was a choice between Frogs (Konnat ) or Baskets (Korit ). In Frogs, teams took part in a San Fernando Frog Festival and had to find ten rubber frogs in a rice field while handcuffed to each other in order to receive their next clue. In Baskets, teams had to score two baskets in a five-minute basketball game against local teenagers in order to receive their next clue.
Manila (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) → Denpasar, Indonesia (Ngurah Rai International Airport) This leg's Detour was a choice between Appeasing (Hyvittely) or Craving (Havittelu). In Appeasing, teams had to assemble an offering known as a Banten Tegeh so that it matched an example and place it atop one team member's head before bringing it to the judge in order to receive their next clue. In Craving, teams had to attach an outrigger to a jukung, paddle out to a series of fishing traps, and find one with their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to perform a Balinese dance in order to receive their next clue, which directed them to the Pit Stop: Pantai Jerman in Kuta.
Denpasar (Ngurah Rai International Airport) → Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta International Airport) For their Speed Bump, Peter & Anna had to order two cups of Java coffee and snacks in Indonesian and enjoy those, before they could continue racing. This leg's Detour was a choice between Bows (Jouset ) or Gods (Jumalat ). In Bows, teams had to take part in a traditional form of Javanese archery called Jemparingan, where both team members had to hit a target with an arrow while sitting down in order to receive their next clue. In Gods, teams would have had to memorise the names and locations of the Hindu deities inside the temple. Then, they had to correctly label the locations of the deities by their names on a temple map in order to receive their next clue. All teams chose Bows.
In this leg's first Roadblock, one team member had to tightrope walk 50 metres (160 ft) above Goa Jomblang, climb down a ladder to retrieve a flag, return to their partner and exchange the flag for their next clue. In this leg's second Roadblock, one team member, regardless of who performed the previous Roadblock, had to play "Lancaran Manyar Sewu" on a saron alongside a gamelan without using sheet music in order to receive their next clue, which directed them to the Pit Stop: Fort Vredeburg.
Yogykarta (Yogyakarta International Airport) → Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) Kuala Lumpur (KLIA Terminal 2 ERL Station → Kuala Lumpur Sentral) In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to ascend 330 stairs up to Batu Caves with a fruit offering while counting the number of steps and avoiding the monkeys. Once at the top, they had to give their offering to a Hindu priest and provide the correct number of steps in order to receive their next clue. This leg's Detour was a choice between Scent (Tuoksu) or Burn (Polte). Only two teams could complete each Detour task. In Scent, teams had to peel open and package 15 durians. Then, teams had to sample some durian before receiving their next clue. In Burn, teams had to sample two spice blends and then recreate them in order to receive their next clue.
Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur Railway Station) → Butterworth, Penang (Butterworth Railway Station) Butterworth (Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal) → George Town (Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal) George Town (Penang Hill – Bellevue Hotel) For their Speed Bump, Kaisa & Mari had to fold a series of joss papers and burn them in the fire for a local spiritual ritual before they could continue racing. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to shoot three pieces of fruit with a Malaysian blowpipe in order to receive their next clue, which directed them to the nearby Pit Stop: the Penang Botanic Gardens.
George Town (Penang International Airport) → Singapore (Changi Airport) Singapore (Changi Airport) → Helsinki, Finland (Helsinki-Vantaa Airport) In this season's final Roadblock, one team member had to choose one of two keys, use a mechanical ascender to climb a tall crane at the Port of Singapore and use the key to release a bag of puzzle pieces. If racers chose the wrong key, they had to rappel back down, get the other key and climb back up again. Racers then had to assemble the puzzle, which depicted their next destination, in order to receive their next clue. This season's final Detour was a choice between Dance (Tanssi ) or Tea (Tee). In Dance, teams had to learn the choreography for a traditional Chinese lion dance in order to receive their next clues. In Tea, teams had to correctly identify seven different types of Chinese tea and then deliver them to a local tea shop in order to their next clue. If teams broke a tea cup, they had to switch tasks.| Leg | City/state | Currency | Landmark | Object | Eliminated team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangkok | Baht | Wat Saket | Bell | Anna & Atte |
| 2 | Phuket | Baht | Wat Sri Sunthon | Coins | Aino-Kaisa & Silvia |
| 3 | Ho Chi Minh City | Dong | Thanh Đa | Pottery | Katariina & Benjamin |
| 4 | Ho Chi Minh City | Dong | Thao Cam Vien | Scorpion | No elimination |
| 5 | Manila | Peso | Fort Santiago | Snake | Jukka & Mirva |
| 6 | Pampanga | Peso | Pandacaqui | Microphone | Ilmari & Aapo |
| 7 | Bali | Rupiah | Sari Wisata Budaya | Panjat Pinang | No elimination |
| 8 | Yogyakarta | Rupiah | Prambanan | Bow | Peter & Anna |
| 9 | Yogyakarta | Rupiah | Benteng Vredeburg | Kebo-keboan | Marcus & Timo |
| 10 | Kuala Lumpur | Ringgit | Saloma Bridge | Book | No elimination |
| 11 | Penang | Ringgit | Hean Boo Thean | Blowpipe | Bakari & Samuel |
The Finnish season drew criticism for including Left Alliance politicians (Nurminen, Pekonen and Modig), who have advocated for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, on a show that includes air travel.[14] Filming of the show also began after the 2023 Greece wildfires on Rhodes, leading to more vocal criticism.[15][16] Prior to the start of filming, producer Pauliina Koutala from Moskito Television stated that the show was made with climate change in mind and that they would be offsetting emissions used for filming, which included having teams fly on airlines that use sustainable aviation fuel and rainforest reclamation at the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve on Borneo.[3] In addition, the production team planned a route in such a way to minimise air travel with alternative forms of transportation on land.[17] In total, all the contestants who reached the final leg travelled about 26,000 kilometres (16,000 mi) by airplanes, roughly corresponding to approximately two round trip flights from Helsinki to New York City.[18] On 14 September 2023, Nurminen, Pekonen and Modig stated at a press event that they understood the criticism and agreed to compete after learning about the flight compensations.[19]
Despite the negative social feedback, many Finnish television consumers were positive towards the first season's contestants with many praising the new and varied faces that have not been on reality television programs before.[20] The fast-paced action and comedic elements of the show were praised, and the Finnish version was very similar and relatable to its original American counterpart.[21] Even though the first season took place almost entirely in Southeast Asia and did not feature "flight drama", consumers were overall positive about how this huge format was made in Finland and expressed interest for another season.[22]
According to Nelonen, the first season got a very respectful reception, with the program reach of the whole season reached the total of 2.9 million viewers from 4+ age group, if included all the streaming services and platforms. The average viewership for the season reached 429,000,[2] with season finale picking up the highest average figures of the season for a single episode: 580,000.[23] Prior to the season finale, the season was nominated for a Golden Venla Award in the category of "Competition Reality" and the Best Director (Jussi Korva & Olli Horttana).[24]
The following ratings are taken from Finnpanel.[25]
| No. | Air date | Episode | Weekly rank | Viewers | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 September 2023 | In the Heart of the Big City | 1 | 375,000 | [26] |
| 2 | 7 October 2023 | An Impossible Challenge | 3 | 305,000 | [27] |
| 3 | 14 October 2023 | Local Fun | 3 | 305,000 | [28] |
| 4 | 21 October 2023 | Shivering Lunch | 1 | 362,000 | [29] |
| 5 | 28 October 2023 | Buzzing Market | 2 | 328,000 | [30] |
| 6 | 4 November 2023 | The Worst Nightmare | 2 | 357,000 | [31] |
| 7 | 11 November 2023 | Magic of Dance | 1 | 403,000 | [32] |
| 8 | 18 November 2023 | Bull's Eye | 1 | 359,000 | [33] |
| 9 | 25 November 2023 | On the Wire | 1 | 362,000 | [34] |
| 10 | 2 December 2023 | The Temple Gift | 1 | 457,000 | [35] |
| 11 | 9 December 2023 | Street Art and Stick Fighting | 2 | 408,000 | [36] |
| 12 | 16 December 2023 | The Final Squeeze | 1 | 580,000 | [23] |
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