The Amazing Race 9


The Amazing Race 9 is the ninth season of the American reality competition show The Amazing Race. Hosted by Phil Keoghan, it featured 11 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, competing in a race around the world. After the previous season's Family Edition, which had families of four racing around North America, this season returned to the classic format of having teams of two racing around the world. This season visited five continents and 10 countries, traveling approximately over 12 legs. Starting in Morrison, Colorado, outside of Denver, racers traveled through Brazil, Russia, Germany, Italy, Greece, Oman, Australia, Thailand, and Japan before returning to the United States, traveling through Alaska, and finishing back in Morrison, Colorado. The season premiered on CBS on February 28, 2006, and concluded on May 17, 2006.
Best friends B.J. Averell and Tyler MacNiven were the winners of this season, while friends Eric Sanchez and Jeremy Ryan finished in second place, and dating couple Ray Whitty and Yolanda Brown-Moore finished in third place.

Overview

The Amazing Race is a reality television show created by Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri, and hosted by Phil Keoghan. The series follows teams of two competing in a race around the world. Each leg of the race requires teams to deduce clues, navigate foreign environments, interact with locals, perform physical and mental challenges, and travel on a limited budget provided by the show. At each stop during the leg, teams receive clues inside sealed envelopes, which fall into one of these categories:
  • Route Info: These are simple instructions that teams must follow before they can receive their next clue.
  • Detour: A Detour is a choice between two tasks. Teams may choose either task and switch tasks if they find one option too difficult. There is usually one Detour present on each leg.
  • Roadblock: A Roadblock is a task that only one team member can complete. Teams must choose which member will complete the task based on a brief clue they receive before fully learning the details of the task. There is usually one Roadblock present on each leg.
  • Fast Forward: A Fast Forward is a task that only one team may complete, which allows that team to skip all remaining tasks on the leg and go directly to the next Pit Stop. Teams may only claim one Fast Forward during the entire race.
  • Yield: The Yield allows one team to force another team to stop racing for a predetermined amount of time before they can continue the race. Teams may use the Yield only one time during the entire race.
Most teams who arrive last at the Pit Stop of each leg are progressively eliminated, while the first team to arrive at the finish line in the final episode wins the grand prize of US$1,000,000.

Production

Casting

Applications for the season were accepted from June 1, 2005 to July 26, 2005. Semi-finalist interviews occurred during September 2005, and finalist interviews were conducted in October 2005.

Development and filming

Filming for this season began on November 7, 2005, with teams spotted at Denver International Airport. By November 22, the show was filming in the Middle East. Teams were in Australia by late November with the show filming on Rottnest Island near Perth on November 23 and at Crocodylus Park in Darwin, Northern Territory, on November 25. The Amazing Race 9 lasted 27 days, during which participants traveled over, and concluded on December 3, 2005. This season visited ten countries on five continents, three of which were new: Greece, Japan, and Oman.

Contestants

Ray proposed to Yolanda on The Early Show the morning after the season finale, and she accepted. The Early Show also showed their full progress on the final leg of The Amazing Race, including Yolanda's progress on the final Roadblock.
ContestantsAgeRelationshipHometownStatus
38Lifelong FriendsDorchester, MassachusettsEliminated 1st
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41Lifelong FriendsWest Harwich, MassachusettsEliminated 1st
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48SistersSanta Rosa Beach, FloridaEliminated 2nd
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44SistersKaty, TexasEliminated 2nd
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44Mother & DaughterSmyrna, GeorgiaEliminated 3rd
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24Mother & DaughterNew York City, New YorkEliminated 3rd
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22Childhood FriendsStaten Island, New YorkEliminated 4th
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22Childhood FriendsStaten Island, New YorkEliminated 4th
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30DatingManhattan, KansasEliminated 5th
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25DatingManhattan, KansasEliminated 5th
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37Married ParentsHattiesburg, MississippiEliminated 6th
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36Married ParentsHattiesburg, MississippiEliminated 6th
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61Married 40 YearsSilverthorne, ColoradoEliminated 7th
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63Married 40 YearsSilverthorne, ColoradoEliminated 7th
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23DatingFort Smith, ArkansasEliminated 8th
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23DatingFort Smith, ArkansasEliminated 8th
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27DatingChicago, IllinoisThird place
27DatingChicago, IllinoisThird place
27FriendsDeerfield Beach, FloridaRunners-up
26FriendsPompano Beach, FloridaRunners-up
26Best FriendsLos Angeles, CaliforniaWinners
25Best FriendsSan Francisco, CaliforniaWinners

;Future appearances
Eric Sanchez and Danielle Turner, now dating long-distance, returned for The Amazing Race: All-Stars. Jeremy Ryan also appeared in the closing minutes of the season finale. After The Amazing Race: All-Stars, Eric and Danielle announced in an interview that they were no longer dating due to the distance and were now just friends.

Results

The following teams are listed with their placements in each leg. Placements are listed in finishing order.
  • 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. As a penalty, they were stripped of their money, bags, and possessions other than their passports and the clothes they were wearing upon checking in, and they received no money at the start of the next leg.
  • An italicized placement indicates a team's placement at the midpoint of a double leg.
  • A indicates that the team won the Fast Forward.
  • A indicates that the team used the Yield and a indicates the team on the receiving end of the Yield.
;Notes

Race summary

Leg 1 (United States → Brazil)

  • Episode 1: "Here We Go, Baby, Off to Win a Million Bucks!"
  • Prize: each
  • Eliminated: John and Scott
;Locations
  • Morrison, Colorado
  • Denver → São Paulo, Brazil
  • São Paulo
  • São Paulo
  • São Paulo
  • São Paulo
  • São Paulo
  • São Paulo
;Episode summary
  • Teams set off from Red Rocks Amphitheatre and drove to Denver International Airport, where they had to book one of the three flights to São Paulo, Brazil. While the three flights were scheduled to arrive within 30 to 35 minutes of one other, some of those arrival times changed due to flight delays. Once in São Paulo, teams had to travel to the rooftop of the Hotel Unique to find their next clue, which directed them to the Viaduto Santa Efigênia.
  • This season's first Detour was a choice between Motor Head or Rotor Head. In Motor Head, teams had to travel to a motorcycle shop and assemble a motorcycle using the parts provided along with a finished model for reference. When the motorcycle was properly assembled and the mechanic could start the bike, teams received their next clue. In Rotor Head, teams had to travel to Campo de Marte Airport, where they had to use a flight directory to locate one of three buildings from a helicopter; each location varied in distance with only a limited number of tickets provided for each. Once teams found their destination, the pilot landed the helicopter on the rooftop of that building so that teams could search a designated area for their next clue.
  • After the Detour, teams had to find a sanctuary on Rua Federico Abranches and light a candle as part of a traditional ceremony known as Candomblé in order to receive their next clue, which directed them to the Pit Stop at the Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho.
;Additional note
  • After the Detour, the clue instructed teams to travel to the district of Santa Cecília and find the Vavá store to purchase the white candle they were later shown lighting in the sanctuary; this portion of the task was unaired.

    Leg 2 (Brazil)

  • Episode 2: "I'm Filthy, and I Love It"
  • Prize: A trip to Tahiti
  • Eliminated: Lisa and Joni
;Locations
  • São Paulo
  • São Paulo
  • São Paulo → Brotas
  • Brotas
  • Brotas
;Episode summary
  • At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to travel to Edificio Copan and search for Bloco F to find their next clue.
  • In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to climb one of three stairwells on the building's fire escape. Once at the top, they had to put on a harness and rappel down the building in order to receive their next clue.
  • After the Roadblock, teams traveled to the Terminal Rodoviário Barra Funda and had to find tickets for one of three charter buses leaving the next day to Brotas. Once there, teams had to search the bus terminal for a marked car with their next clue.
  • This leg's Detour was a choice between Press It or Climb It. In Press It, teams had to drive to Camping Bela Vista to process raw sugar cane and distill its juice. Teams then had to make 500 milliliters of ethanol to fuel their cars as an alternative fuel source. After completing the task, teams received their next clue. In Climb It, teams had to drive to Usina Jacaré and hike to a nearby waterfall. Once there, they climbed to the top of the waterfall using mechanical ascenders in order to receive their next clue.
  • After the Detour, teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: the Fazenda Primavera da Serra coffee plantation.