The Amazing Race 16

Development and filming

The sixteenth season spanned 40,000 miles (64,000 km) across five continents and nine countries, including Chile, Argentina, Germany, France, Malaysia, Singapore, China and for the first time, the Seychelles.

Racers were observed leaving Los Angeles International Airport on November 28, 2009. For the third time, teams had to use public transportation to make their way from the Starting Line to the airport. Teams had also done so in seasons 1 and 6.

Racers were reported checking into a Pit Stop in Puerto Varas, Chile on December 2. Filming of the show has also been reported in Bariloche, Argentina, and continuing on to Germany and production crews were reported to be seen around Singapore, particularly in the Bugis area and the Singapore Flyer.

In the third episode, which aired on February 28, 2010 and featured the contestants departing Chile, Phil Keoghan acknowledged the February 27, 2010 massive earthquake in Chile in a special opening.

Leg 4 featured an Intersection for the first time since Season 11. Also for the first time since the Intersection was introduced, teams did a Roadblock together, where one person from each of the intersected teams had to work together to complete the Roadblock. This is also the first time since Season 8 that two racers worked together to complete a Roadblock, and the first time in its history that an Intersection occurred on a different leg than Leg 8.

In Leg 8, Jet and Cord were the first team since the inception of the Speed Bump in Season 12 to finish in first place on a leg in which they had to complete a Speed Bump.

Leg 9 was the first time that a U-Turn warning had been in the team's first clue, due to the fact the team taking the Fast Forward option would have skipped the Detour and the U-Turn point. Also, this was the first time that a Fast Forward and a U-Turn have been present in the same leg, although this was previously done on the Israeli edition of the race HaMerotz LaMillion.

At the end of the episode for Leg 10, the death of He Pingping was acknowledged. He appeared giving out clues to the teams after the first Roadblock. That leg was also the first single-length leg ever on the Race to have two Roadblocks (Each team member had to complete one of the Roadblocks).

In Leg 11, Bao Xishun, the world's tallest man at the time, was featured as the greeter at the Pit Stop in Shanghai.

Cast

Applications were originally due on July 10, 2009, but the deadline was later extended. Semi-finalist interviews were held sometime in August 2009 and the final casting interviews took place in Los Angeles around September and October 2009. Filming took place around November and December 2009.

Notable cast members include Big Brother 11 houseguests Jordan Lloyd and Jeff Schroeder, 2007 Miss South Carolina Teen USA Caite Upton, professional bull rider Cord McCoy, and Cleveland Indians third-base coach Steve Smith. Caite, 20, was the youngest contestant in the show's history (excluding the Family Edition); while Jody Kelly, 71, was the oldest contestant in the show's history. Other racers included cowboys, detectives, a lesbian couple, high school sweethearts, attorney moms, and the show's first Asian married couple.

This 16th series also marked the first appearance of Allan Wu, host of The Amazing Race Asia and China Rush, in the US version of the series.

Jet & Cord raced again in The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business among a cast made up of returning teams from seasons 12–17. They later raced again in The Amazing Race: All Stars among a cast made up of returning teams from seasons 14–23.

Results

The following teams participated in the Race, each listed along with their placements in each leg and relationships as identified by the program. Note that this table is not necessarily reflective of all content broadcast on television, owing to the inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order:

A red team placement indicates that the team was eliminated.

A green ƒ indicates that the team won a Fast Forward clue.

An underlined blue team's placement indicates that the team came in last on a non-elimination leg and had to perform a Speed Bump task in the following leg.

Matching colored symbols (pink +, teal ^, magenta –, and olive ~) indicate teams who worked together during part of the leg as a result of an Intersection.

A brown ⊃ means the team chose to use a U-Turn; ⊂ indicates the team who received it.

Episode title quotes

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.

1. "Nanna Is Kickin' Your Butt" – Michael
2. "When the Cow Kicked Me in the Head" – Jody
3. "Run Like Scalded Dogs!" – Jet
4. "We Are No Longer in the Bible Belt" – Jet
5. "I Think We're Fighting the Germans, Right?" – Michael
6. "Cathy Drone?" – Dan
7. "Anonymous?" – Brent
8. "You're Like Jason Bourne, Right?" – Michael
9. "Dumb Did Us In" – Brandy
10. "I Feel Like I'm in, Like, Sicily" – Brent
11. "They Don't Even Understand Their Own Language" – Brent
12. "Huger than Huge" – Dan

Prizes

The prize for each leg is awarded to the first place team for that leg. All trips are sponsored by Travelocity.

Leg 1 – A trip for two to Vancouver, British Columbia

Leg 2 – A pair of sailboats

Leg 3 – A trip for two to Patagonia

Leg 4 – Two $5,000 pre-loaded Discover Cards

Leg 5 – Two 55" HD TVs

Leg 6 – A trip for two to Cancun, Mexico

Leg 7 – A dinner on the beach on Praslin, Seychelles, massages, all the 7-Up the team could drink (at the Pit Stop), and $7,000 for each team member

Leg 8 – A trip for two to Maui, Hawaii

Leg 9 – A pair of motorcycles

Leg 10 – A trip for two to Alaska.

Leg 11 – A trip for two to the Spanish coast.

Leg 12 – $1,000,000

Elimination Station

After elimination, the first five eliminated teams were sequestered at a villa in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to await the finale. CBS posted short videos on its website after each episode aired in the Pacific Time Zone to show the eliminated teams interacting at the villa.

After Leg 1, Dana and Adrian were the first team eliminated and sent to the villa. They expressed their disappointment after Adrian's second attempt failed during the Roadblock task. Adrian is terribly afraid of heights and he wanted to kiss Dana to reaffirm their relationship. They discussed their marriage, had a tour on a beach, and saw big whales in the ocean.

After Leg 2, Jody and Shannon were the second team eliminated and sent to the villa. Jody voiced her regrets that she did the Roadblock instead of Shannon. Adrian was surprised to hear that Jody had not hoped or expected to win the race, but Shannon still insisted that they could have done it. The teams were treated to an elemental spa with treatments based on fire, earth, water, and air.

After Leg 3, Monique and Shawne were the third team eliminated and sent to the villa. All the previous eliminated teams were shocked to see Monique and Shawne, and Monique and Shawne were saddened at missing their daughters' birthdays. The next day, the teams went to Las Juantas Y Los Veranos to learn how to make tequila, which included Adrian cutting open a blue agave which took him about 6 minutes and 9 seconds.

Leg 4 was a non-elimination leg, hence no new teams were sent to the villa. The 3 eliminated teams bonded at the villa while Shannon was writing in her journal. Monique and Shawne suggested bringing Shannon to the beach, after which all the teams went. Shawne was given a leg and foot massage, while Shannon got her hair beaded, and Monique shared with Shannon how to win the Mexican guys by doing some eye action.

After Leg 5, Joe and Heidi were the fourth team eliminated and sent to the villa. They arrived while Adrian and Shannon were playing a game of table tennis. Jody and Shannon expressed their surprise and disappointment at seeing Joe and Heidi arrive, while Adrian was glad to have another man at the villa. Joe and Heidi expressed their frustration and explained how they arrived at the conclusion that Louie and Michael had Blind U-Turned them. Later, the teams went into town to do some shopping. Joe tried to bargain with a store owner over the price of some jewelry for Heidi, which offended the owner.

After Leg 6, Jordan and Jeff were the fifth team eliminated and sent to the villa. All the teams at the villa sat down for a meal and as Jordan and Jeff arrive at the villa, they explained the circumstances that led to their elimination. They believed that Louie and Michael would be in the top 3, and Joe again shared his disdain for Louie and Michael in a confessional. Jeff expressed his bitterness at having been evicted from Big Brother and now eliminated from The Amazing Race as he compares Elimination Station and Big Brother and Jury House. However, Jordan feels satisfied from being in Elimination Station. The teams later went on a snorkeling trip. While on the trip, Monique and Shawne suffered from seasickness, and Heidi helped Adrian become comfortable in the water. The snorkeling trip also helped ease Jeff's bitterness at being eliminated.

Leg 7 was a non-elimination leg, hence no new teams were sent to the villa. At the pool, Adrian, Jeff and Joe discussed why Louie and Michael U-Turned Joe and Heidi, which turned out to be because the detectives disliked them due to personal reasons. After that, the eliminated teams watched an exciting Mexican dance, and many of the racers joined in the dance while others watched. Jody also performed a solo by playing the drum, which impressed Shannon. Later in the day, Joe shared with Heidi the main reason why Louie and Michael U-Turned them. Lastly, Heidi added that if Joe were to meet Louie and Michael, he would confront them about it and how it affected the outcome of the race.

After Leg 8, Steve and Allie were the sixth team eliminated. It was 2:00 in the morning, and the eliminated teams gathered to find out who they think is the next team eliminated. Steve and Allie called the villa and Monique picked up the phone. Everyone was surprised and disappointed to hear about that Steve and Allie were eliminated, especially Shannon who was sad to hear about it. Joe then asked Steve about Louie and Michael's current situation in the race, then Steve told Joe that his team was too strong and was a threat, which resulted in the U-Turn. Steve shared that it was bad decisions and a bad cab that resulted in their elimination. Steve also noted that either Jet and Cord or Louie and Michael will win the race.

After Leg 9, Carol and Brandy were the seventh team eliminated. When Carol and Brandy called the villa early in the morning, the other eliminated teams were shocked and disappointed to hear about Carol and Brandy being eliminated, especially Shannon who wanted to see an all-girl team win. Carol and Brandy talked about the U-Turn and their dislike for Brent and Caite that led to their elimination. In response, Jordan said that Carol and Brandy were probably just too jealous of Caite's beauty. Adrian, however, agreed with Carol and Brandy that the U-Turn was a foolish move by the dating models, and that it should have been used on either Jet and Cord or Louie and Michael. That evening, the eliminated racers got to watch a Mexican wrestling match in an outdoor coliseum. Jordan got to escort a wrestler to the ring, and Adrian, the most enthusiastic fan of the group, bought a wrestling mask as a souvenir.

Leg 10 was a non-elimination leg, hence no new teams were sent to the villa. Jordan and Jeff talk with Dana and Adrian about how to strengthen their relationship. Then, all the teams at Elimination Station are shown packing their bags and guessing where the final Leg will take place and then they were leaving the villa and fly to End City.

After Leg 11, Louie and Michael were the eighth and final team eliminated. Elimination Station showed the five eliminated teams arriving at the End City in San Francisco, California. After arriving in San Francisco, the teams checked into a hotel, settled into their rooms, and awaited the phone call from the eighth team eliminated. Monique and Shawne are happy to see the end of the race and to know who they think is going to win. Dana said that Joe and Heidi were hoping that Louie and Michael are not in the Final Three because of their dislike for them after being U-Turned. Louie and Michael called into the hotel, and the eliminated teams were shocked and disappointed to hear about Louie and Michael being eliminated. Joe asked Louie and Michael if they still felt that they had used the U-Turn correctly. Michael told him that they had because he thought Joe and Heidi would be very tough to beat once the Race route reached Asia. Adrian said that Joe and Heidi's wishes came true, but despite Louie and Michael being eliminated, Joe was still not satisfied. Jeff told Joe that Louie and Michael U-Turned Joe and Heidi because of personal reasons, which led to harsh words between Joe and Jeff.

Leg 12 was the final leg of The Amazing Race 16. Elimination Station showed the Finish Line that takes place in Candlestick Park. All the eliminated teams were happy to find out which team do they think will win the $1 million as Steve and Allie, Carol and Brandy, and Louie and Michael reunited with the other eliminated teams at the Finish Line. Shannon noticed that the Final Three teams are: Dan and Jordan, Brent and Caite, and Jet and Cord. Dana said that it's anybody's race. All the eliminated teams were waiting to find out who they think will cross the Finish Line first and win the $1 million. They find out that Dan and Jordan were the first team to cross the Finish Line and win the $1 million; Jet and Cord came in 2nd and Brent and Caite came in 3rd. Teams expressed their opinions about the final three teams at the Finish Line along with their joys and disappointments about the race, and the learning experiences they could draw from it.

Leg 1 (United States → Chile)

Airdate: February 14, 2010

Los Angeles, California, United States (Vista Hermosa Natural Park) (Starting Line)

Los Angeles (Los Angeles International Airport) to Santiago, Chile (Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport)

Santiago (Terminal San Borja) to Valparaíso (Bus Terminal)

Viña del Mar (Wulff Castle) (unaired)

Valparaíso (Ascensor Villaseca)

Valparaíso (Ascensor Artillería)

Valparaíso (Paseo Templeman)

Valparaíso (Palacio Baburizza (Spanish))

In this first Roadblock of the Race, one team member had to cross a tightrope the length of a football field (360 ft or 110 m) suspended 120 feet (37 m) above the ground to the end of the valley until they received their next clue.

Additional note

Before teams leaving Los Angeles to Santiago, Chile, they must use a public transportation (not by taxi) to Los Angeles International Airport. The first three teams would receive tickets one hour ahead of the second fight. However, due to mechanical failure on that flight, they re-booked with the remaining teams in the second flight.

Additional tasks

After the Roadblock, teams had to take a funicular down the mountain to find their next clue.

At Paseo Templeman, teams picked up painting supplies (4 paint cans, paint brushes, and a ladder) and had to find a group of house painters next to a house matching the color of their paint. Once at the house, they had to finish painting a portion of the house to receive their next clue.

Leg 2 (Chile)

Airdate: February 21, 2010

Valparaíso to Puerto Varas via Santiago

Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park (Todos los Santos Lake – Isla Margarita (Mirador (Spanish)))

Puerto Varas (Onces y Cabañas Bellavista (Spanish))

Puerto Varas (Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Spanish) – Gruta de la Virgen)

In the first Detour of this race, teams chose between Llama Adoration and Condor Consternation. In Llama Adoration, teams traveled to a farm where they had to dress a llama by placing a blanket on its back and a scarf around its neck. In Condor Consternation, teams traveled to a beach where they donned special shoes resembling birds' feet and used a hang glider-like condor costume to glide out to a clue in the water.

In the leg's Roadblock, teams had to collect several ingredients used to make kuchen: a plate of butter, a bowl of sugar, a bag of flour, a baker's dozen of eggs from the hen house, and a cup of milk straight from a cow. Once the ingredients were collected, team members had to give them to the baker to receive a serving of kuchen and their next clue.

Leg 3 (Chile → Argentina)

Airdate: February 28, 2010

Puerto Varas (Del Salvador Bus Terminal or Cruz del Sur Bus Terminal) to San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina

San Carlos de Bariloche (El Boliche Viejo)

San Carlos de Bariloche (Peña Gaucha)

Ñirihuau (Spanish) (Puente Ñirihuau)

Neuquén Province (Estancia Fortin Chacabuco)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to choose a station and use a lasso to rope a target 18 feet (5.5 m) away and pull it towards them to receive their next clue.

In the Detour, teams chose between Horse Sense and Horse Power. In Horse Sense, teams were given a set of directions by a gunslinger and – using only a stationary compass as a navigational aid – had to find a bag of loot buried in a field. They then had to deliver the bag to the lead bandit, and if the markings on their bag matched the coordinates given to them, he would give the team a coin with the name of the Pit Stop location on it as their next clue. In Horse Power, teams went down to a polo field and – using a wooden practice horse – had to get a goal within 9 strokes and received the trophy with the name of the Pit Stop location on its base as their next clue.

Additional task

At El Boliche Viejo, teams had to win a game of five-card stud against the Travelocity Roaming Gnome to receive the gnome which had their next clue on the bottom of its base.

Leg 4 (Argentina → Germany)

Airdate: March 7, 2010

San Carlos de Bariloche (Teniente Luis Candelaria International Airport) to Frankfurt, Germany (Frankfurt Airport)

Frankfurt (Frankfurt Airport long-distance station) to Hamburg (Hamburg Hauptbahnhof)

Hamburg (Jungfernstieg)

Hamburg (Jungfernstieg station) to (Landungsbrücken station)

Hamburg (Port of Hamburg)

Hamburg (Altonaer Rathaus (German) – Kaiser Wilhelm I Statue)

Hamburg (Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn Stadium (German) or Alt Hamburger Bürgerhaus (German))

Hamburg (Haifischbar (German))

Hamburg (Beatles-Platz – Indra Musikclub (German))

At the Intersection, teams had to join with one other team to complete tasks and make decisions together until further notice.

In this special Roadblock, one team member from each of the intersected teams had to take the S-Bahn to the Port of Hamburg and complete a 150-foot (46 m) tandem bungee jump from a bungee crane. After the Roadblock, teams were no longer Intersected.

The Detour for this Leg was a choice between Soccer or Sauerkraut. In Soccer, teams made their way to Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn Stadium and had to successfully kick a ball from the penalty mark (12 yd or 11 m) through 5 targets located in the goal to receive their next clue. In Sauerkraut, teams had to travel to a restaurant called Alt Hamburger Bürgerhaus and eat a plate of sauerkraut while a band played a song called the "Sauerkraut Polka". Teams had to finish the plate before the end of the song in order to receive their clue. If the song ended first, they had to start over with a new plate of sauerkraut.

Additional tasks

At the Haifischbar, each team had to drink a boot of beer to receive their next clue.

Leg 5 (Germany → France)

Airdate: March 14, 2010

Hamburg to Les Monthairons, France (Château des Monthairons (French))

Sainte-Menehould (Boulangerie Defontaine)

Massiges (La main de Massiges (French))

Massiges (Church of Massiges)

Wargemoulin-Hurlus (Eglise Saint-Étienne de Wargemoulin (French))

During the Pit Stop, all teams boarded a bus and traveled from Hamburg to an unknown destination, revealed to viewers to be Les Monthairons. For this leg's Speed Bump, Jordan and Jeff had to reinforce a trench wall using a series of branches before they could proceed to complete the Detour. Teams chose between In the Trenches or Under Fire. For both tasks, teams dressed up as World War I-era American soldiers, known as Doughboys. In the Trenches, teams traveled through trenches to a telegraph where they had to decipher a message in Morse code –"We will prevail. Vive la France."– and then presented their deciphered message to the French sergeant. In Under Fire, teams crawled under barbed wire 100 feet to receive a message –"The war is over. Vive la liberté."– from a man in a foxhole. They then crawled back through the barbed wire to present the message to the sergeant. Before either task was completed and the teams received their clue, the message they received was sent to "headquarters" via carrier pigeon.

Additional tasks

At the Boulangerie Defontaine, teams had to buy a fresh baguette that contained their next clue.

After the Detour, teams were required to head south down a road to find the U-Turn and their next clue.

Upon arriving at Church of Massiges, teams changed out of their Doughboy gear into turn of the 20th century French bicycling gear (including a fake moustache) and rode on antique bicycles, in the manner of the first Tour de France, along a 4-mile (6.4 km) course to the Pit Stop.

Leg 6 (France)

Airdate: March 21, 2010

Reims (Notre-Dame de Reims – Joan of Arc Statue)

Épernay (Leclerc Briant)

Pierry (Château de la Marquetterie (French))

Épernay (l'ORCCA (French) – La Maison Gallice (French))

In this Roadblock, one team member had to rappel 100 feet (30 m) into the chalk cellars of the winery of Leclerc Briant to search for a bottle of champagne specially marked with a small yellow and red striped flag on the bottom amongst the riddling racks. After finding the bottle, the team member returned to the surface to use the traditional sabrage technique to open the bottle, the force of which propelled their next clue out.

The Detour was a choice between Tower or Terra. In Tower, teams had to stack 680 champagne coupes into a 15-level pyramid with only one coupe on the top level, then pour the entire contents of a magnum of Taittinger champagne onto the top of the pyramid – all without breaking any of the glasses – in order to receive their next clue. In Terra, teams searched the 1-square-kilometre (250-acre) winter-barren Taittinger vineyards for a cluster of wine grapes marked with the race flag. After finding the grapes, they returned it to the harvest foreman for their next clue.

Additional task

At the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Reims, teams had to find a woman playing a musical saw to receive their next clue: a cork from a bottle of Leclerc Briant.

Leg 7 (France → Seychelles)

Airdate: March 28, 2010

Paris (Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport) to Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles (Seychelles International Airport)

La Digue (L'Union Estate)

St. Pierre Island

Praslin (Paradise Sun Hotel)

This leg's Detour was Turtle Toddle or Ox Trot. In Turtle Toddle, teams had to use a banana to lure a 500-pound (230 kg), 100-year-old Aldabra Giant Tortoise across a marked path on a lawn. Once it was across the finish line, teams had to deliver a bunch of bananas to a fruit merchant 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away to receive their next clue. In Ox Trot, teams had to pull a cart to a clearing and load a pile of coconuts into it. Then, after an ox was hitched to their cart, teams had to deliver their coconuts to a fruit merchant to receive their clue. If they forgot or lost any of the coconuts, teams had to retrieve them before being allowed to continue.

In the leg's Roadblock, one team member had to dive into the ocean to retrieve one of seven bottles tied to a platform in the water to reveal inside.

Additional task

Upon arrival in Mahé, teams had to find a marked kiosk and take a number. The first 3 teams were on the first helicopters, leaving around the same time, to La Digue. The last three departed for La Digue on three helicopters an hour later.

After finishing the Detour, teams chose a marked boat and were taken out to a buoy near St. Pierre Island. Once there, the captain gave them their next clue.

After finishing the Roadblock, teams were taken off the shore of Praslin where they had to swim to shore. Once ashore, teams emptied the contents of their bottle revealing a puzzle map that when completed would lead them to their treasure: the Pit Stop at the Paradise Sun Hotel.

Leg 8 (Seychelles → Malaysia)

Airdate: April 4, 2010

Praslin to Victoria, Mahé

Victoria (Seychelles International Airport) to George Town, Penang, Malaysia (Penang International Airport)

Bayan Lepas (Snake Temple)

Air Itam (Tien Kong Than Buddhist temple) or George Town (Esplanade)

Teluk Bahang (Kuil Sri Singamuga Kaliamman)

Teluk Bahang (Tropical Spice Garden)

George Town (Pinang Peranakan Mansion)

In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Buddhist Tradition or Chinese Custom. In Buddhist Tradition, teams traveled to the Tien Kong Than Buddhist temple and carried a series of joss sticks to the top of the temple. After arranging them in the proper order, teams lit them and received their next clue. In Chinese Custom, teams traveled to the Esplanade in George Town, where they participated in the Chinese New Year tradition of balancing large flags on their foreheads and then running across the esplanade. After both team members made it across the esplanade without letting the flag fall, they received their next clue

In this Leg's Speed Bump, Jet and Cord traveled to the Tropical Spice Garden to find a woman crushing spices for tea. Then by smell, they had to pick the right prepared tea and serve it to a guru sitting on a swing. Once the guru finished drinking the tea, they could proceed to the Roadblock. The Roadblock was one team member had to prepare a traditional Hindu offering called a float by first breaking open several coconuts in order to find one that had colored flesh. They then built the float and gave it to the waiting Gurukkal who sent it out to sea and then gave teams their next clue.

Additional note

Before leaving Seychelles, teams took a boat to the island of Mahé which is scheduled for 2:00 am.

Leg 9 (Malaysia → Singapore)

Airdate: April 11, 2010

Sungai Nibong, Penang (Sungai Nibong Express Terminal) to Kuala Lumpur (Puduraya)

Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur Sentral railway station) to Singapore (Tanjong Pagar railway station)

Singapore (Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall)

Singapore (Singapore Flyer)

Singapore (Speakers' Corner or Rochor Road)

Singapore (Istana Park)

Singapore (ASL Marine Shipyard)

Sentosa (MegaZip Adventure Park)

Singapore (Marina Barrage)

In the race's only Fast Forward, one team made their way to the Singapore Flyer where they would have to climb out of one observation pod at the top of the 541-foot (165 m) Ferris wheel and then cross a ladder to the next pod over where their next clue directly to the Pit Stop was being held.

For this Leg's Detour, teams chose between Pounding The Drums and Pounding The Pavement. In Pounding The Drums, teams traveled to Speakers' Corner and learned a complex drum routine for a lion dance performance. Once they had played it to their young instructor's approval, they then performed the routine with a lion dance troupe on a nearby stage for their next clue. In Pounding The Pavement, teams traveled to an open area in Rochor Road where they had to gather supplies – chairs, an umbrella, a loaf of bread, wafers, and 10 boxes of ice cream – and then find a marked ice cream cart to sell 25 Singapore-style ice cream sandwiches for S$1 a piece to receive their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to inspect an anchor chain by counting the number of links in the chain, while dealing with the noise created by the other workers at the port and announcements being read through a loudspeaker. When they gave the right number (521) on a clipboard to the dock manager, they would receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

At the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, teams had to find Allan Wu, host of The Amazing Race Asia, who would give them their next clue.

After the Detour, teams were instructed to find the U-Turn and their next clue at the intersection of their "last pit stop city" and Orchard Road. This clue sent them to Istana Park, located at the intersection of Penang Road and Orchard Road.

At Sentosa, teams rode the MegaZip, a 1,476-foot (450 m) long zip-line. After unharnessing from the MegaZip, teams received their next clue.

Leg 10 (Singapore → China)

Airdate: April 25, 2010

Singapore (Singapore Changi Airport) to Shanghai, China (Shanghai Pudong International Airport)

Shanghai (Zhujiajiao)

Shanghai (Taikang Lu)

Shanghai (Hongkou Football Stadium)

Shanghai (Shanghai Science and Technology Museum)

In the first Roadblock on this leg, one team member had to follow a demonstration by a local noodlemaker to make 1 kg (2.2 lb) of la mian noodles. When they were done, He Pingping, the world's shortest man, gave them their next clue.

The second Roadblock on this leg required the team member who sat out the first Roadblock to put together a 96-piece puzzle and then give the puzzle to a group of fans in the bleachers. If the puzzle was put together correctly, the other side of the puzzle would give a seat number where the team would find their next clue.

Additional tasks

In Zhujiajiao, teams traveled on foot to a boat dock which would take them to their next clue and the first Roadblock.

In Shanghai's fashion district Taikang Lu, teams entered a fashion studio where they were given a sketch of an outfit. They then had to choose the correct pieces of clothing that were described in the sketch and give them to a fashion model to put on. If they chose the right clothing and accessories, the fashion designer would give them their next clue.

Leg 11 (China)

Airdate: May 2, 2010

Shanghai (Garden Bridge)

Shanghai (Longhua Temple)

Shanghai (Yuyuan Garden)

Shanghai (Art stone store or Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant)

Shanghai (Riverside Promenade (Chinese))

The Speed Bump required Louie and Michael had to participate in a good luck ritual by throwing coins into a large incense burner on the Longhua Temple grounds. Once both got one coin each into the top opening of the incense burner, they could proceed onto the Roadblock. In this Leg's Roadblock, one team member entered Longhua Temple's Arhat Hall to count all of the golden statues in the room, most of which were statues of the Gautama Buddha. If they got the right number (523), they would receive their next clue. If not, they would have to wait 10 minutes before making their next guess.

In this Leg's Detour, teams chose between Pork Chops and Pork Dumplings. In Pork Chops, teams must enter an art stone store and look through several hundred special stone stamps called chops for the two that had a pig on the bottom and one of each of their names in order to receive their clue from the shop owner. In Pork Dumplings, teams traveled to Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant and delivered 10 orders of xiaolongbao across the market. Once done with the deliveries, they received their clue.

Additional tasks

At the start of the leg, teams were told to go to the Garden Bridge, that was referred to the Waibaidu Bridge.

After the roadblock, teams took a motorcycle to their next destination Yuyuan Garden.

Leg 12 (China → United States)

Airdate: May 9, 2010

Shanghai (Shanghai Pudong International Airport) to San Francisco, California, USA (San Francisco International Airport)

San Francisco (Fort Point – Battery Godfrey)

San Francisco (Coit Tower)

San Francisco (Letterman Digital Arts Center – Yoda Statue)

San Francisco (Fairmont Hotel – Tonga Room)

San Francisco (Great American Music Hall)

San Francisco (Candlestick Park)

In the final Roadblock of the season, one team member had to use an ascender to reach the top archways of Coit Tower to get their next clue before being lowered back to the ground.

Additional tasks

After receiving the clue at Battery Godfrey, teams had to solve a riddle that would lead them to their next route marker: Coit Tower.

At the Letterman Digital Arts Center, one team member had to put on a motion capture suit while their partner directed their avatar through a virtual course, all based on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. After getting through the two levels of the course, the directing partner would be able to copy down their next clue through figuring out how to read it off the computer screen which directed them to the Tonga Room.

Upon arriving at the Tonga Room, teams were instructed to take a trunk to their next location: the Great American Music Hall.

At the Great American Music Hall, teams opened the trunk from the Tonga Room. Inside were psychedelic posters of the teams that had been eliminated in each leg during the Race being put in the correct order of elimination (with three posters for the non-elimination legs) according to the legs visited in the chronological order:

Once teams put in a correct order, they could receive their final clue from a roadie.

The final clue at the Great American Music Hall was a portion of the "Jack Be Nimble" nursery rhyme; teams were left to figure out that the missing word "candlestick" referred to the location of the Finish Line: Candlestick Park.

Ratings

No episode aired on April 18, 2010 due to CBS's broadcast of the Academy of Country Music Awards and CTV's broadcast of the Juno Awards.

US ratings

Episode 1, "Nanna Is Kickin' Your Butt" aired on Valentine's Day.

Episode 4, "We Are No Longer In The Bible Belt" had a considerably low amount of viewers, most likely because it aired on the same night as the 82nd Academy Awards.

Episode 7, "Anonymous?" had the most viewers and adults 25–54 rating since the November 4, 2007, episode of The Amazing Race 12, as well as the best numbers in adults 18–49 since the January 6, 2008, episode of the same season.

Episode 8, "You're like Jason Bourne, right?" aired on Easter Sunday.

Episode 12, "Huger Than Huge", the season finale, aired on Mother's Day. The show was down nearly two million viewers compared to the season 15 finale and was the lowest rated finale since season 4.

Canadian ratings

Canadian broadcaster CTV also airs The Amazing Race on Sundays at 8pm, the first three episodes were aired on A-Channel. When the show returned to the said network, episode four aired an hour earlier than its normal start time due to the network's broadcast of the 82nd Academy Awards.