The Amazing Race 3

Development and filming

The third season of The Amazing Race spanned a total of 41,000 miles (66,000 km) across four continents and 12 countries. Unlike previous seasons, all of the twelve countries were newly visited to the show (one of the new countries, Spain, was not featured on television this season but would be visited again in The Amazing Race 10). Filming began on August 9, 2002 and finished on September 7, 2002.

During Leg 3, Dennis and Andrew (the first father/son team on the series) won the Fast Forward, yet were eliminated on the same leg—a first in the show's history. This would not happen again until Leg 10 of The Amazing Race 20, 17 seasons later. This team received headlines before the season began due to Dennis being a conservative Southern Baptist and Andrew an openly gay cheerleader. Andrew later returned to blog on CBS.com's Return of the Racers for seasons 9, 10, and 11.

During Leg 4, Heather and Eve were the first team to arrive at the Pit Stop in Portugal, but they misread a clue that told them to walk to the Pit Stop rather than take a taxi. They proceeded to walk the rest of the way, but received a seven-minute time penalty for the advantage gained (the second team arrived seven minutes later), plus an additional 30 minutes. Since all of the other teams arrived at the Pit Stop less than 37 minutes afterward, Heather and Eve became the first team ever to arrive first at a Pit Stop yet still be eliminated. Heather and Eve later stated in interviews that one of the production crew traveling with them told them it was OK to take the cab, though production has stated that this is not true, and would be irrelevant in any case because the clues are not open to subjective directions.

During Leg 5, teams were required to drive marked vehicles more than 100 miles from Portugal to the port in Algeciras, Spain. Four of the eight teams incorrectly fueled their cars using unleaded gasoline instead of diesel, causing the cars to become inoperable. The four stricken teams handled the situation very differently: Teri and Ian recovered almost immediately when Ian borrowed a siphoning line from a gas station, drained the tank, and refilled with diesel; Flo and Zach oddly found an open repair shop in the middle of the night that fixed their vehicle; Aaron and Arianne called for a tow truck and were taken to a different repair place after a very long delay; and Kathy and Michael had the car brought back to the station, left it overnight, and became the last team to get underway with a fixed car (which contributed to their eventual elimination).

During Leg 6, Andre and Damon were officially detained when their taxi took them far out of the way in Morocco and they encountered a local official who wanted to seize their passports. Andre and Damon refused, and the show's security team had to come help them out of the situation.

Also during Leg 6, John Vito and Jill's car broke down. Per race rules, a new car was provided at their request, but no time credit is ever issued for this circumstance.

During the legs in Vietnam, all route markers were colored solid yellow instead of red and yellow. This was done to avoid confusion with the former South Vietnamese national flag, which is also red and yellow.

During post-race interviews for the premiere episode of All-Stars, Ian claimed that they were less than 2 minutes behind Flo & Zach at the finish line.

Cast

The cast of The Amazing Race 3 was increased to 12 teams and included soccer moms, law school graduates, a Vietnam War veteran, and a set of model twins. Jill and her brother F.T. originally applied for Season 1, but after F.T was killed in 9/11, John Vito and Jill applied in remembrance of him.

John Vito and Jill subsequently hosted a show that promoted Singapore tourism.

Teri and Ian, along with John Vito and Jill were selected to compete in The Amazing Race All-Stars among a cast of returning teams from seasons 1-10.

Zach later worked on NBC's production crew for the 2004 Summer Olympics. He later married Elyse Steinberg in Hopewell Junction, New York and is now a camera operator for MTV.

Michael and Kathy got married in Italy and are now parents.

Aaron (of Aaron and Arianne) accidentally stumbled upon one of the pit stops of Season 6 while backpacking in Europe.

Flo and Drew got together romantically and dated for several years after the race ended. They declined to race in the All-Stars because Flo thought the race brought out the worst in her, and also because she did not want to do the race without Zach (who was not asked to join All Stars). Flo is now Dan Abrams's girlfriend and the couple announced in January 2012 that they were expecting their first child.

This season also featured Singaporean TV star Gurmit Singh, who handed the clues during the Leg 10 Detour. Miss Singapore Universe 2001 Jaime Teo also appeared as the local greeter in the Singapore leg.

Marketing

This season had four official sponsors, Royal Caribbean International, Kodak, American Express and T-Mobile. Royal Caribbean provided prizes in vacation tours to each team that arrived first at a Pit Stop.

Awards

In 2003, this series of The Amazing Race won the inaugural Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality/Competition Program.

Distribution

The complete season was released on DVD on November 22, 2011, exclusively on Amazon.com via their CreateSpace program.

Results

The following teams participated in the Race, listed along with their respective 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:

Episode title quotes

Titles for episodes are often taken from quotes made by the racers. The quotes are sometimes slightly changed for humorous effect.

1. "What If Our Parachute Doesn't Open?" – Eve
2. "This Seems Like The Path Straight To Hell!" – Arianne
3. "You Always Just Forget About Me!" – Flo
4. "Did You See How I Stopped It? With My Face" – John Vito
5. "What Happens If I Slip? Am I Just Hanging Off A Cliff?" – Flo
6. "I’m a Much Better Liar Than You Are" – Flo
7. "I’m Supposed To Be Indebted To Her For The Rest Of The Race?!" – Derek
8. "This Is More Important Than Your Pants Falling Down!" – Ian
9. "Why Did You Have To Take Your Pants Off?" – Flo
10. "Don’t Try To Play The Moralist Now!" – Flo
11. "They’re Slithering To The Finish Line Like The Rest Of Us!" – Ian

Prizes

Individual prizes were awarded to the first team to complete a leg.

Leg 1 (United States → Mexico)

Airdate: October 2, 2002

The Fast Forward required a team to travel to Plaza Santo Domingo and search for one typist out of dozens who would have a "special message"; the Fast Forward award.

The Race's first Detour was a choice between Wings or Wheels. In Wings, teams had to board a plane, climb to an altitude of over 10,000 ft (3,000 m) and have each team member skydive in tandem with an instructor. When both team members landed, an instructor would give them their next clue. In Wheels, teams chose one of the donkey-drawn carts and, using a supplied map, directed a driver who speaks no English 7 mi (11 km) course through a Mexican village to receive the next clue.

Leg 2 (Mexico)

Airdate: October 9, 2002

The Fast Forward was also given at the start of the leg, requiring one team to travel to the Museum of Anthropology and find a group of performers called the Voladores of Papantla. Both team members then had to climb a 100 ft (30 m) pole and swing around the pole suspended on ropes to the ground to win the Fast Forward award.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Horse Power and Man Power. In Horse Power, teams used a WaveRunner and search a large lagoon for the clue that was floating on a buoy. In Man Power, teams used a kayak to search a much smaller lagoon for the clue, which was hanging from a tree.

For the Roadblock, one team member had to put on goggles, jump into the lagoon, and swim with a family of dolphins while searching for the next clue at the bottom.

Leg 3 (Mexico → United Kingdom)

Airdate: October 16, 2002

This leg's Fast Forward required one team to travel to the Duxford Imperial War Museum and maneuver a tank through a battlefield obstacle course (in 90 seconds or less) in order to win the award.

The Detour was a choice between Punt and Bike. In Punt, teams rowed a local boat called a punt with only a long pole and small paddle to navigate 1-mile (1.6 km) down the River Cam to receive the next clue. In Bike, teams rode a tandem bicycle along a marked 6-mile (9.7 km) course through Cambridge to receive the next clue. After either Detour, they retrieved the next clue from under a bridge.

For this Roadblock, one team member had to compete in three traditional Scottish games. First was the Caber toss, in which the player must throw a caber, make it topple, and have it land within designated lines. Second was the hammer throw, in which the player had to throw a hammer so it landed inside a box marked on the ground. Last was the shot put, requiring the player to overhand toss a heavy rock forward to the finish line. Once all the three games were finished, the teams would walk to the nearby castle to the Pit Stop.

Leg 4 (United Kingdom → Portugal)

Airdate: October 23, 2002

The Detour was a choice between Old School or New School. In Old School, teams loaded a barrel of port wine weighing more than 90 lb (41 kg) onto a traditional Portuguese boat, helped to row it across the Douro River, then delivered it to the O Muro restaurant to receive their next clue. In New School, teams loaded nine crates of wine bottles onto a marked trucks and drove them through the streets of Porto to three different restaurants: Chez Lapin, Retiro dos Carvalhos, and Café Majestic. In both options, teams had to get signatures from each restaurant to prove that they made the deliveries correctly in order to receive their next clue.

In the unused Fast Forward, teams had to complete a puzzle.

For the Roadblock, one team member had to enter one of the soccer goals and block one penalty kick from a teenage Portuguese soccer player. Once the referee has determined that the goal was properly blocked, the team would receive their next clue.

Leg 5 (Portugal → Spain → Morocco)

Airdate: October 30, 2002

The Detour was a choice of Ropes or Slopes. In Ropes, teams had to take one of the shuttle buses to the Ursa cliffs and rappel 300 ft (91 m) down to the shore below to receive their next clue. In Slopes, teams hiked down a long, sloping trail to the shore below to receive the next clue.

For this leg's Roadblock, one team member had navigate through Dar Dbagh Chouara Tannery inside Fez's old city and search through 25 vats of foul-smelling dye in order to find their next clue.

Leg 6 (Morocco)

Airdate: November 13, 2002

This Fast Forward required both team members to look through piles of carpets in a Marrakech carpet shop to find the one with the Fast Forward design sewn into it to win the award.

The Detour was a choice between Now You See It and Now You Don't. In Now You See It, teams chose two horses and rode to a route marker that was visible from where they were. Once they reached it, they would dig for a clue painted on the inside of a clay pot, hidden in the marked square of sand. In Now You Don't, teams choose one sand bike and rode from a route marker that wasn't visible from where they were to a clue etched on a stone. Once there, they then made a rubbing of the clue onto a piece of paper.

For this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to team up with a local food vendor and help assemble their stall, then sell 5 bowls of escargot at a rate of MAD5 each (about 47 cents at the time) in order for the vendor to give them their next clue.

Leg 7 (Morocco → Germany & Austria)

Airdate: November 20, 2002

This Fast Forward required one team find a surfer riding on the curls of the Eisbach River in Munich. Once they found him, they had to attract his attention and meet up with him to claim the Fast Forward award.

The Detour was a choice between Sled and Skate. In Sled, teams, along with a team of professional bobsledders, took a bobsled down an Olympic bobsled track at speeds of 65 km/per hour in order to receive their next clue. In Skate, teams went to an Olympic ice rink and had to run a skating relay with a pair of professional ice skaters to receive their next clue.

For this Roadblock, one team member had to put on safety gear and slowly descend 230 ft (70 m) to the ground on a rescue cable to get their next clue.

Leg 8 (Germany → Switzerland)

Airdate: November 27, 2002

The Detour was a choice between Count the Money or Run the Numbers. In Count the Money, teams had to count a large amount of Swiss currency inside of a jar right next to the safe. In Run the Numbers, teams had to search the streets of Zürich as far as a mile away to find three different numbers: the number on the metal head statue on the intersection of Sihlstrasse and Bahnhofstrasse , the sum of the numbers on the north face of a clock on St. Peter's Church, and the number of trees in Lindenhof marked with red ribbons. When done correctly, they would find the combination to the safe (127850), which would open the safe that contained the next clue.

For this Roadblock, one team member had to relive the story of Swiss hero William Tell by using a crossbow to shoot an apple off a mannequin's head to receive their next clue. An instructor would load the crossbow after every attempt.

Leg 9 (Switzerland)

Airdate: December 4, 2002

The Fast Forward required one team to find a cheese making cabin in Kandersteg and eat enough pieces of Swiss cheese from a massive wheel of cheese to completely reveal the Fast Forward award hidden underneath.

The Detour was a choice between Extreme Swiss and Very Swiss. In Extreme Swiss, each team member had to walk onto a narrow red bridge and take a 620 ft (190 m) jump, the largest bungee jump in Europe, into the gorge below to receive their next clue. In Very Swiss, teams had to drive 8 miles (13 km) to a farm and find a key inside a bell around the neck of a goat. However, only of 5 of the 75 goats had keys in them. When they found a key, they could receive their next clue.

For this Roadblock, one team member had to assemble a Swiss army bike from a pile of parts with an identical bike to use as a reference. Once an expert confirmed that the bike had been properly assembled, teams could ride both the assembled and reference bikes 3 miles (4.8 km) to the Basset Marina in Montreux.

Leg 10 (Switzerland → Malaysia → Singapore)

Airdate: December 4, 2002

During the Pit Stop of the previous leg, the steamship sailed from Montreux to Lausanne where teams started the tenth leg.

The Detour was a choice between Dry and Wet. In Dry, teams drove to an apartment block in Choa Chu Kang. From there, they had to locate Unit #10-137, which contained Singaporean TV star Gurmit Singh (from the television series Phua Chu Kang) to get their next clue. However, the elevators in the building served only 3 floors (the 1st, 6th and 11th), the buildings were similar (identifiable only by the numbers), and the streets in the town had nearly identical names, making it difficult for teams to find the exact unit. This was made worse as the apartments in the target building were separated into multiple groups. In Wet, teams drove to the Singapore Zoo and had to find "Mermaids of the Sea", which actually meant the manatee enclosure. Once at the enclosure, they had to swim through the pool to receive the next clue.

After the Detour, teams were directed to Suntec City to fiind Fountain of Wealth. At the fountain, teams found the next Roadblock, which was shown on television as a miscellaneous task after the Detour with one team member retrieving a clue from the middle of the Fountain of Wealth.

Leg 11 (Singapore → Vietnam)

Airdate: December 11, 2002

The Detour was a choice between Easy Buy or Hard Sell. Both choices took place at Mekong Delta in Cái Bè. In Easy Buy, teams chose a boat called a sampan and rode it into the floating market. Their goal was to look for the only vendor who sells water coconuts (called dừa nước in Vietnamese) and buy one at any price they could. In Hard Sell, teams chose a shoulder basket and carried fruit into the land market area and attempted to sell enough fruit to make 40,000₫ (dong VND - $2.50). After buying the coconut or rasing the money, teams brought the money or coconut back to one of the vendors who would verify their earnings and give them their next clue.

For this Roadblock, one team member had to drive a cyclo and transport their teammate through a marked course down the streets of the city and onto a ferry across the Saigon River. After reaching the end of the course, both teams members could drop off their cyclos and walk to the next Pit Stop at Café Thu Thiem.

Leg 12 (Vietnam)

Airdate: December 18, 2002

The Detour for this leg was a choice between Basket Boats and Basket Bikes. In Basket Boats, each team member had to cross a stretch of river in a round basket boat using only a single paddle each to reach the clue box on a nearby island. In Basket Bikes, each team member took a bicycle laden with dozens of shrimp baskets and had to ride them 1-mile (1.6 km) to receive the next clue.

For this Roadblock, one team member had to climb onto a Vietnamese fishing platform and use a wooden winch to raise a fishing net out of the water in order to receive the clue dangling underneath.

Leg 13 (Vietnam → United States)

Airdate: December 18, 2002

The final Detour of the Race was a choice between Quick Drop or Slow Walk. In Quick Drop, teams took a quick 160 ft (49 m) drop from the top of a waterfall on a zipline. They then had to swim to shore and follow the flags to a clue behind the waterfall, only a short distance away. In Slow Walk, teams walked down a much longer marked trail to the same clue box behind the falls.

The final Roadblock of the Race had one team member choose a totem pole and spin the animal faces so that they were aligned in chronological order based on the countries they visited for the race:

Once the animals were in the correct order, the mouth at the bottom of the pole opened to reveal the final clue.