The Amazing Race 8

Development and filming

The eighth season of The Amazing Race spanned 11,000 miles (18,000 km), the shortest route of the series. This race placed less emphasis on international travel as numerous legs were contained within the continental United States, and all race locations were inside North America. Panama and Costa Rica were countries included in the race for the first time. Filming took place between July 7 and July 31, 2005.

Route markers were colored yellow and white with black lining, similar to the yellow and white route markers of Season one (and in contrast to the yellow and red markers used in all other seasons). As with The Amazing Race 7, the winners of this season were revealed in an online betting scandal before the airing of the final episode.

For this race, the supplied credit card covered not only airfare but also gasoline. Previously, gasoline had to be purchased with the supplied cash. The rule change was made necessary by the fact that most of the transportation takes place in automobiles rather than airplanes.

The limits on individual roadblock attempts, found in season six and seven, were lifted for this season. Furthermore, some roadblocks in this edition required the participation of two team members. Also, for the first time since season five, a mid-race leg (specifically, leg 4) was aired as not having a roadblock.

During leg one, Renee Rogers fell at the starting line and suffered a concussion. The Rogers Family did not realize the severity of the injury until they had gone to a hospital after being eliminated from the race during the next leg.

During leg six, at Poás Volcano, the clue envelope appeared to contain fast forward instructions; however, this was not mentioned or described, since either no team took advantage or plans for the task fell through. The fast forward in leg five was introduced as the only one in the race as the show was televised. An online source claims that the task was simply not used, and all references were excised in editing.

According to an interview with Wally Bransen on RFF Radio, Hurricane Emily forced producers to cancel a leg in Belize, giving teams an extra day off in Costa Rica after leg six.

After the Linz Family were named the official winners, it was revealed that the Bransen and Weaver Families would compete in the "Final Amazing Challenge". The two families would race back and forth between the last roadblock of the race (a map of North and Central America) and a set of 12 clue boxes, each of which contained an icon representing something the families did on the race. The object of the challenge was to race (as a family) out to the clue boxes, get the icons one at a time, and then place them on the appropriate place on the map. Whichever team finished this challenge first would win a new GMC Yukon XL, the same vehicle that had been used on the race. The Bransen Family won the challenge and vehicle.

In an RFF Radio podcast interview with Wally Bransen, he said that the Linz's beat them to the finish mat by one or two minutes in the final leg, making it the third closest finish ever. The Weavers finished in third place an "hour or two" later.

Cast

In March 2005, host Phil Keoghan toured several cities in the United States (Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Los Angeles) to scout contestants for the race. Final casting interviews took place in Las Vegas.

The full list of families that participated the race (with their relationships) follow, in alphabetical order:

Kevin O'Connor and Drew Feinberg from season 1 made a cameo appearance during the first leg of the race, handing out clues to teams in New York at a hot dog stand.

Linda Weaver's husband, Roy, a track safety worker, was killed in an accident when he was run over by a race car at Daytona International Speedway in 2004. She reluctantly participated in two challenges directly related to racing. One was a go-kart race in Arizona, and the other involved traveling around Talladega Superspeedway on a party bike.

One month after the end of the race, the Schroeder Family's New Orleans home was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. They evacuated and stayed with the Rogers Family in Shreveport, Louisiana for a short period of time. Denny Rogers supplied a truck to help the Schroeders evacuate the flood-ravaged area. The Schroeder home was being rebuilt at the time of the show's airing.

Billy and Carissa Gaghan wrote introductions for My Ox is Broken, a book about The Amazing Race.

Stassi Schroeder later appeared in the Oxygen reality series Queen Bees and finished in 7th place. Schroeder later appeared on the Bravo reality series Vanderpump Rules as a part of that cast.

Renee Rogers died on November 24, 2013, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, at the age of 51.

This is one of the three seasons (among the first ten) that was not represented in The Amazing Race: All-Stars.

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:

Episode title quotes

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

1. "Go, Mommy, Go! We Can Beat Them!" – Billy Gaghan
2. "How Do We Know We Aren't Going to Get Shot?" – Carissa Gaghan
3. "I Don't Kiss I Make Out" – Stassi Schroeder
4. "Think Like An Office Chair" – Rachel Weaver
5. "We're Getting Out of the Country, Girls" – Tommy Linz
6. "I'm Sick of Doing Stuff I Can't Do" – Linda Weaver
7. "You Look Ridiculous" – Phil Keoghan
8. "How's That Face Feel?" – Megan Linz
9. "Don't Talk To Me Like I Was An Animal Or Something" – Christine Godlewski
10. "The Family Christmas Card" – Wally Bransen
11. "25 Days, 50 Cities, And More Than 600 Consecutive Hours Together as a Family" – Phil Keoghan

Prizes

Individual prizes were awarded to the first family to complete each leg, with trips provided by Travelocity. The prizes were:

Leg 1 (New York → New Jersey → Pennsylvania)

Airdate: September 27, 2005

The first Detour was a choice between Build It or Buggy It. In Build It, teams needed to use a set of provided materials to construct a functioning scale model of a watermill. Once assembled, they then used two buckets of water to power the mill and prove their work to receive their next clue. In Buggy It, two members from each team must pull a traditional Amish buggy along a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) course while the other two rode inside. When they completed the course, teams received their next clue.

Leg 2 (Pennsylvania → Washington, D.C. → Virginia)

Airdate: October 4, 2005

The first Roadblock of the race asked "Who's ready for a covert operation?" For this Roadblock, one team member had to search for one of 10 spies among 50 people carrying an identical briefcase around the Tidal Basin. To confirm the spy, he or she had to whisper a code phrase, "The sky is blue", but only a spy would reply with the countersign phrase, "The sea is green". Once they had found a spy, they exchanged their briefcase with the spy to receive their next clue. (This task reappeared in The Amazing Race 22 as a Switchback.)

At Welbourne Manor, teams found the leg's Detour: a choice between Heat of the Battle and Heat of the Night. In Heat of the Battle, teams must take part in a full-scale American Civil War reenactment, using stretchers to transport five wounded soldiers off the battlefield to a surgical tent, where they received the next clue. In Heat of the Night, teams had to take a barrel of oil and a keg of kerosene to a workstation, where they had to fill 20 oil lamps. Once done, they must light all of the lamps and take them to the quartermaster to receive the next clue.

Leg 3 (Virginia → South Carolina → Alabama)

Airdate: October 11, 2005

For this Detour, teams had to choose between Forrest Gump or Muddy Waters. In Forrest Gump, teams had to drive 7 miles (11 km) to Wando Shrimp Co. in Mount Pleasant, and hop onto a shrimp boat. They then had to use their hands to de-head 200 pounds (91 kg) of shrimp to receive their next clue. In Muddy Waters, teams had to drive 37 miles (60 km) to Ridgeville and find the Ridgeville Mud Run. Once there, teams drove a 4x4 SUV one lap through a mud obstacle course, including a 400-foot (120 m) gully filled with mud, to receive their next clue. If they got stuck, they would have to wait to be towed out and restart the course.

The Roadblock asked "Who's ready to feel the pull of more than 3 Gs?" For this special Roadblock, two team members must ride in a centrifuge with a gravity speed of 3.2g. Once the pair endured the g-force, they would get their next clue.

Leg 4 (Alabama → Mississippi → Louisiana)

Airdate: October 18, 2005

There was a Roadblock on this leg that required one team member to climb to the top of the World's Largest Office Chair to receive their next clue; this was aired as a miscellaneous task.

Once in Louisiana, teams found this leg's Detour was a choice between Work or Play. In Work, teams first had to don flannel clothing then use a two-person handsaw to cut four slices off a log, 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter, to receive their next clue from a lumberjack. In Play, teams had to don traditional New Orleans clothing, then make their way by canoe to a riverboat where they played a game of blackjack against a professional dealer. To win a round, the hand of each team member needed to total more than the dealer's hand or the dealer must bust (go over 21). When the team won three rounds, the dealer would give them their clue.

Leg 5 (Louisiana → Panama)

Airdate: October 25, 2005

For the only Fast Forward on the race, one team had to find a crane at the Pacific side of Panama Canal, on Pier 12 in Balboa. Once there, the family must split into pairs to perform a tandem bungee jump, 140 feet (43 m) above sea level. Once all members completed the drop, they would win the Fast Forward award.

This leg's Detour was choice between Rhythm or Coos. In Rhythm, teams traveled to Casco Viejo (English: Old Quarter) to collect four musical instruments; a saxophone (from Teatro Nacional de Panamá), a trumpet (from Escuela Simón Bolívar), a conga drum (from Casa Góngora) and a trombone (from Instituto Nacional de Cultura (Spanish)). Once they retrieved all the instruments, they had to deliver them by foot to Take Five Jazz and Wine where the band leader would hand them their next clue. In Coos, teams traveled to El Parque Metropolitan, where they had to use binoculars to search the rainforest canopy for wooden replicas of five local bird species from a provided bird identification card. Once a bird was found, they had to circle the correct species on the card. When they had five correct circles, they presented the card to the bird expert to get their next clue. However, if they circled the wrong birds, they would have to repeat the task.

This leg's Roadblock asked "Who can hit in a pinch?" For this Roadblock, teams went to Estadio Juan Demóstenes Arosemena where one team member to had to play baseball against a local little-league champion. If they got a base hit or home run, the umpire would give them their next clue. But if a player failed after three pitches, they would have to go back to the end of the line to try again.

Leg 6 (Panama → Costa Rica)

Airdate: November 1, 2005

This leg's Roadblock asked "Who can tell the difference between colors?" For this Roadblock, one team member had to search through a 800-pound (360 kg) pile of coffee beans to find the one red bean. They gave the red bean to the plantation manager for their next clue.

The Detour was a choice between Relic or Ripe. In Relic, teams traveled to a nearby rainforest, Manuel Antonio National Park, where they had to search for four Mayan relics on six road bridges. Once they delivered each of these relics to an archaeologist, they would receive the next clue. In Ripe, teams traveled to the Frutas Selectas del Tropico banana plantation, where they had to gather 15 bushels of bananas and load them onto hanging tracks. Teams then had to use a local pulling-system to haul the fruit to the distribution center. Once delivered, the foreman would give them their next clue.

Leg 7 (Costa Rica → Arizona)

Airdate: November 8, 2005

The Detour was a choice between Brush or Barrel. In Brush, teams had to travel 10 miles (16 km) to Taller Eloy Alfaro in Sarchí. Once there, they must choose two partially painted cartwheels, and use the provided pattern to fill-in the missing section. When they finished decorating the wheel and the artist approved their work, they would receive their clue. In Barrel, teams traveled 10 miles (16 km) to a Sugarcane factory called Ingenio La Argentina, where they had to load a tractor with one tonne (0.98 long tons; 1.1 short tons) of harvested sugarcane, then transport it 6 miles (9.7 km) to the rum factory Fabrica Nacional de Licores. Once the sugarcane was delivered, they had to search a warehouse to find a marked barrel-rack hidden among dozens of rum barrels to receive their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to drive a racing go-kart at Bondurant SuperKart School for 50 laps of the race track. Once they successfully completed all the laps, they received their next clue.

Leg 8 (Arizona)

Airdate: November 8, 2005

In this leg's Roadblock, teams traveled to Fighter Combat International at Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport. One team member had to fly in a fighter plane and, following the pilot's direction, perform a 360-degree loop. Once the loop was completed, they would land and get their next clue.

The Detour was a choice between Bearing or Bailing. For both Detours, the teams traveled by motorized raft to Horseshoe Bend along the Colorado River. In Bearing, teams had to choose a color-coded card with unique compass coordinates. They then followed the coordinates to the next card until they located three locations on three different islands to find the same card on each island. Once they had three cards, they could exchange them for the next clue. In Bailing, teams had to pour water into a boat until it submerged. Then, using their hands and the tools provided, they had to bail water out of the boat until it was light enough to carry. Once the boat had been carried ashore and across a line in the sand, they would receive their next clue.

Leg 9 (Arizona → Utah)

Airdate: November 22, 2005

The Detour was a choice between Ride Down or Drop Down. In Ride Down, teams had to choose bikes and ride a 6-mile (9.7 km) course down the mountain, then to Bull Canyon to retrieve their next clue. In Drop Down, teams completed a two-stage rappel, totalling 270 feet (82 m), to reach Bull Canyon and their next clue.

There was a Yield before the Roadblock at Utah Olympic Park. The Roadblock required one team member to put on skis and descend a 60-foot (18 m) ski-jump training ramp into an Olympic pool to get their next clue.

Leg 10 (Utah → Wyoming → Montana)

Airdate: November 29, 2005

This leg's Detour, at the Heber Valley Railway, was a choice between Spike It or Steam It. In Spike It, teams used historic materials and tools to complete a 20-foot (6.1 m) section of railway track. In Steam It, teams used buckets to fill the tender of a steam locomotive with nearly 400 pounds (180 kg) of coal. In both Detours, teams would need to get their work approved by a railway engineer before receiving their next clue.

In this Family-version Roadblock, teams traveled to Dunham Ranch. Two team members then mounted horses and took six cattle from a holding pen, herding them a quarter-mile (400 m) into a corral. Once completed, the cowboy would give them their next clue.

Airdate: December 6, 2005

In a Western-themed Detour, teams had a choice between Pioneer Spirit or Native Tradition. In Pioneer Spirit, teams had to attach four wheels to a covered wagon, hook up a team of horses, and drive along a quarter-mile (400 m) course. In Native Tradition, teams had to use traditional materials and tools to build a teepee.

In this Family-version Roadblock, two team members chose a colored flag and attached it to a Buick Lucerne golf cart. They then drove to the Red Lodge Mountain golf course and searched for balls the same color as their flag. Once the task was completed, the golf pro would give them their next clue.

Leg 11 (Montana → Quebec → Ontario → New York)

Airdate: December 13, 2005

The first Detour of the leg was a choice between Slide It or Roll It. In Slide It, teams traveled to Glenfinnan Rink at McGill University to participate in the sport of curling. Each team member glided a granite stone 120 feet (37 m) down the ice to the house target. Once a team member got a stone into the house or touched the house with a total of 4 targets, they would receive their next clue. In Roll It, teams traveled to Morgan Arboretum and had to use lumberjack tools to roll four wooden logs along the 100-foot (30 m) course in order to receive their next clue from the lumberjack.

The leg's first Roadblock, teams traveled to La Porte J at Trapezium, where one team member had to successfully complete a flying trapeze maneuver known as a "catch" in order to receive their clue.

The final Detour of the Race was a choice between Ship or Shoe. In Ship, teams sailed across Toronto Harbour from Queens Quay to the schooner Kajama. One team member climbed 100 feet (30 m) to the top of the mast to retrieve a nautical flag. Once they retrieved the flag, the captain would hand them their next clue. In Shoe, teams traveled to Bata Shoe Museum, where they would choose a pair of shoes; when they found a woman wearing a matching shoe among 100 women standing in the museum, they would receive their next clue.

The final Roadblock of the Race had teams travel to Joseph Davis State Environmental Park in Lewiston, New York, where one team member had to use 71 giant jigsaw puzzle pieces and complete a map of Central and North America (excluding the Caribbean). Once the puzzle was completed, teams were allowed to go to the finish line.

Critical Response

Fans, critics, and racers were lukewarm over the format changes implemented in this edition of The Amazing Race. The main issues were the lack of international travel and watered-down challenges tailored to families. The expanded cast also made it more difficult to develop individual story lines. Entertainment Weekly commented that "Half the fun of The Amazing Race has always been watching the inter- and intra-couple bickering that goes with being chronically late and lost in a foreign land. Seeing parents yell at their children in exotic New Jersey? Not so fun". USA Today shared similar opinions, adding that "the idea of being trapped in the back seat for a forced cross-country family drive comes closer to a nightmare relived than a dream come true." Racers were also disappointed that they did not have a chance to travel to more exotic locations; in one episode Marion Paolo commented "Why are we going to Phoenix, Arizona for? I want to go to New Zealand!" – a statement that also summed up the general opinion of the season.

In hindsight, the production team has admitted that the concept of a Family Edition "looked good on paper" but failed in execution, since child racers limited foreign travel for that season. Creators Bertram Van Munster and Jonathan Littman doubt that the family format will be revived in the future.