The Amazing Race 26

Production

Development and filming

Casting

Marketing

Contestants

Results

• A placement with a dagger indicates that the team was eliminated.
• An placement with a double-dagger indicates that the team was the last to arrive at a Pit Stop in a non-elimination leg, and had to perform a Speed Bump task in the following leg.
• An italicized and underlined placement indicates that the team was the last to arrive at a Pit Stop, but there was no rest period at the Pit Stop and all teams were instructed to continue racing. There was no required Speed Bump task in the next leg.
• A indicates that the team used an Express Pass on that leg to bypass one of their tasks.
• A indicates that the team used the U-Turn and a indicates the team on the receiving end of the U-Turn.

Race summary

Leg 1 (United States → Japan)

• Episode 1: "Great Way to Start a Relationship"
• Prize: Express Pass
• Eliminated: Jeff & Lyda

• Castaic, California
• Los Angeles → Tokyo, Japan
• Tokyo
• Tokyo
• Tokyo
• Tokyo

• At Castaic Lake, six dating couples and five blind date couples, who met for the first time at the starting line, began the race. Teams had to complete a mud run obstacle course on the lake shore and grab a ring, which contained airplane tickets to their first destination: Tokyo, Japan. The first eight teams were booked on the first flight and the last three teams were booked on the second flight, which departed 45 minutes later. Once there, teams had to travel to Kanda Myojin, where they found their next clue.
• This season's first Detour was a choice between Syncing Steps or Samurai Sake. In Syncing Steps, teams had to travel to Shinjuku Central Park and learn a series of synchronized robotic dance moves with members of World Order in order to receive their next clue. In Samurai Sake, teams had to travel to Nakanosakaue Chicken Tavern, where they were shown ten bottles of sake. One team member had to take an order from a pair of samurai, while the other team member had to find the correct bottle from a large display. When the correct sake bottle was presented, teams made a toast with the samurai before receiving their next clue.
• After the Detour, teams had to travel to Wakaba Higashi Park in order to find their next clue, which instructed them to search in the vicinity of the Akihabara UDX building for a parking space in order to find the Pit Stop.

• This leg featured a Blind Double U-Turn. Mike & Rochelle chose to use the U-Turn on Jeff & Lyda, while Jeff & Lyda chose to use the U-Turn on Jeff & Jackie. However, Jeff & Jackie had already passed the U-Turn by this point and were therefore unaffected.

  Leg 2 (Japan)

• Episode 2: "I Got the Smartest Dude"
• Prize: Fitbit watches and a fitness package for each team member, plus a personal chef, cooking lessons, and either a one-year gym membership or a year of fresh grocery delivery
• Date Night Reward: A trip to a Japanese hot spring
• Eliminated: Libby & C.J.

• Tokyo
• Tokyo → Nagano
• Nagano
• Nagano
• Nagano
• Nagano

• At the start of this leg, teams had to ride a bullet train to Nagano and travel to Matsushiro Castle, where they found their next clue.
• In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to solve a traditional puzzle box called a yosegi, which contained the password they needed in order to receive their next clue.
• After the Roadblock, teams had to travel to Nishi-guchi Zenkō-ji in order to receive their next clue.
• This leg's Detour was a Blind Detour, where teams only learned about the task that they chose once they arrived at its location. It was a choice between Share or Chair. In Share, teams traveled to the Takesan Donabe Restaurant and had to feed each other a bowl of noodles using only a pair of chopsticks while sitting in front of a large fan in order to receive their next clue. In Chair, teams traveled to the M-Wave Olympic Arena. One team member had to sit on a chair mounted on a sled while their partner pushed the chair around a speed skating track for one lap, after which they switched places for a second lap. Teams had to finish both laps within a combined time of 3:55 minutes in order to receive their next clue.
• After the Detour, teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: the Patio Daimon.