The Amazing Race 12


The Amazing Race 12 was the twelfth installment of American reality television show The Amazing Race. It featured 11 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world.
The 12th season premiered on November 4, 2007 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. It took the timeslot of the canceled CBS series Viva Laughlin. The finale aired on January 20, 2008 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Newly dating couple TK Erwin and Rachel Rosales were the winners of this season.
A DVD for this season was released on March 24, 2014, via Amazon's CreateSpace program.

Production

Development and filming

In May 2007, CBS confirmed The Amazing Race was picked up for a 12th season. It was originally to be scheduled in the mid-season of the 2007–08 TV season. However, when Viva Laughlin was canceled in October of the same year, The Amazing Race 12 started early to take the time slot.
The Amazing Race 12 spanned in 21 days, making it the shortest Amazing Race course since the Family Edition of Season 8. The Race covered four continents, visiting ten countries, while traveling entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. The newly visited countries were Ireland, Burkina Faso, Lithuania, Croatia, and Taiwan. Also, for the first time, the Finish Line was not in the continental United States. The shortened filming schedule was initially attributed, in part, to the removal of non-elimination legs, which would have been a first on the Race. However, host Phil Keoghan told Kynt & Vyxsin in Leg 7 that there were two non-elimination legs in this season. Most seasons without "To Be Continued" or "superlegs" had four non-elimination points. With this season only having two non-elimination legs, the number of episodes was reduced by two.
This season introduced two new twists to the Race: the U-Turn and the Speed Bump. Positioned just after a Detour, the U-Turn allowed one team to force a team behind them to complete both sides of that Detour. The Speed Bump was a penalty task for a team that finished last in a non-elimination leg, to be completed during the next leg in addition to other tasks. The U-Turn and the Speed Bump each occurred in two episodes of The Amazing Race 12.
The Alaska Finish Line was the northernmost finish location of the series.

Cast

Applications for The Amazing Race 12 were due on January 16, 2007. Semi-finalist interviews were held in February 2007 or March 2007 and final casting interviews took place in April 2007.
This season's 11 teams included married lesbian ministers, dating Goths, and siblings. Executive producer van Munster felt that "it was not intentional" for casting to leave out young-male teams commonly found in past seasons. He also said that it was pure coincidence for 15 of 22 racers to be residents of California.
The grandson and grandfather team of Nicolas & Donald are, respectively, the son and father-in-law of singer Robbie Fulks. Shana was the on-and-off girlfriend of TV personality Ryan Seacrest, while racers Staella, TK, Rachel, and Nathan all attended Fountain Valley High School in Fountain Valley, California. Kynt had originally applied for an unknown season of the reality television show Survivor.

Future appearances

After the season ended, Kynt & Vyxsin applied for third season of The Amazing Race Asia, but were turned down by producer Michael McKay due to their prior Race experience. Their audition was shown on the "Racers Revealed" episode of the season. They eventually along with Ron & Christina raced again on The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business among a cast of returning teams from seasons 12–17, with Kynt changing his name to Kent. During the season, Christina revealed she was engaged to fellow Season 12 racer Azaria Azene; they married in March 2011.

Marketing

Two days after the series premiere, CBS launched an Amazing Race page on social networking site Facebook via Facebook Ads. The site contained interactive contents such as maps, trivia, a travel log, and prizes. The site also included a tie-in with the Where I've Been application.

Results

The following teams participated in this season, 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:
  1. The Fast Forward in Leg 5 was unaired.
  2. Nathan & Jennifer initially arrived 2nd, but did not take legal transportation to the Pit Stop. They were asked to go back to the end of the Detour and take a taxi back to the Pit Stop. Kynt & Vyxsin checked in while they went back, dropping Nathan & Jennifer to 3rd.
  3. Kynt & Vyxsin used their U-Turn on Nicolas & Donald. However, Nicolas & Donald had already passed the U-Turn point and were therefore unaffected by it.

    Episode title quotes

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.
  1. "Donkeys Have Souls, Too" – Christina
  2. "I've Become the Archie Bunker of the Home" – Ronald
  3. "Please, Lord, Give Me Milk" – Lorena
  4. "Let's Name Our Chicken Phil" – Shana
  5. "We Really Burned Bridges, For Sure" – Jennifer
  6. "Cherry on Top of the Sundae That's Already Melted" – Nathan
  7. "This is Forever, Now" – Donald
  8. "Honestly, They Have Witch Powers or Something!" – Jennifer
  9. "I Just Hope He Doesn't Croak on Us" – Ronald
  10. "Sorry, Guys, I'm Not Happy to See You" – Jennifer
  11. "The Final Push" – TK''

    Prizes

The prize for each leg was awarded to the first place team for that leg. All trips were sponsored by Travelocity. The prizes were:
The first five teams eliminated were sequestered at a villa in Portugal to await the finale. Subsequently, eliminated teams telephoned to inform the teams at the villa of their elimination, but continued to run the race as decoys to throw off potential spoilers. The sequestered teams met up with the decoy teams in the final destination city to cheer on the final three teams as they crossed the Finish Line.
CBS posted short videos on its website after each episode aired in the Pacific Time Zone, which showed the eliminated teams interacting at the villa.

Leg 1 (United States → Ireland)

Airdate: November 4, 2007
The first Roadblock required one team member to pedal a high-wire bicycle across a windswept ravine, suspended almost above the North Atlantic, to reach their next clue. Their partner, sitting below, would be taken along for the ride.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: November 11, 2007
At the Detour, teams had to choose between Hoist It or Hunt It. In Hoist It, teams had to use a traditional rope-and-pulley system to hoist five pieces of furniture up to a typical Amsterdam apartment before receiving their next clue from the head tenant. In Hunt It, teams made their way on foot several blocks to the Fietsflat bicycle parking lot to search through thousands of bicycles for two bikes tagged with a specific color designated in their clue. After finding these bikes, teams had to ride them five miles to an attendant who would give them their next clue.
In the Roadblock for this leg, one team member had to play a sport called fierljeppen. This required completing a vault across an irrigation ditch and landing on both feet on the marshy grass. Once the vault was completed correctly, they had to pick up their clue and vault back to their partner. This task would reappear in Season 21 as a Switchback.
;Additional task
Airdate: November 18, 2007
In this Roadblock, in an area inhabited by Tuareg people, one team member had to milk a dromedary and collect the camel milk in a dried gourd bowl. After they reached a marked line and showed it to a local for approval, they then had to drink all the milk to receive their next clue. If a team member was unable to obtain enough milk from their chosen camel, he or she had to wait until another team had completed the Roadblock; they could then try milking that camel for the remainder.
The Detour was a choice between Teach It or Learn It. In Teach It, teams had to teach schoolchildren who did not speak English to memorize ten words of English. When a local teacher was satisfied that the children could recite the words, teams would receive the next clue. In Learn It, teams had to learn from the local schoolchildren ten words in the More language. Teams were then tested by a local teacher, until the teacher was satisfied and gave them their next clue.
;Additional task
Airdate: November 25, 2007
The Detour of this leg was a choice between Shake Your Pans or Shake Your Booty. In Shake Your Pans, teams had to use traditional methods to pan for of gold they could trade for their next clue. In Shake Your Booty, teams had to learn a traditional local dance and perform it with Winiama masked dancers for a crowd of locals. Teams only had one attempt, and if three local celebrity judges felt a team lacked creativity or had a bad performance, the team would incur a 10-minute penalty. After successfully performing the dance or waiting out the penalty, teams would receive their next clue.
In this Roadblock, one team member had to ride a bicycle and deliver a large amount of cumbersome goods, including a small goat, to a specific person stated in their clue at a nearby market to receive their next clue.
;Additional task
Airdate: December 2, 2007
In this Roadblock, one team member had to choose a local Lithuanian woman working in Nautilus courtyard, who would give them a package and tell them where to take it. Then, traveling on foot through the confusing streets of the Vilnius Old Town, team members had to deliver the package to the correct person in Vilnius University Courtyard. They would then be handed a second package and one of four final destinations: Gabi Kavine, Saint Germain Restaurant, Hair Salon Sidabrynas, or . When the delivery was made to the correct location, they received their next clue.
The Detour was a choice between Count Down or Step Up. In Count Down, teams made their way through the traditional Mid-Summer's Festival to a marked section of picket fence. Once there, they had to count every picket in the fence and give their count to a villager. If they were correct, they would receive their next clue. In Step Up, teams had to stilt-walk along a marked course to the finish line. If a person fell before reaching the end, they had to start over. When they completed the course without falling, they would receive their next clue.
There was a Fast Forward which went unaired. In a post-show interview, Shana and Jennifer revealed that the Fast Forward was present in a portion of the leg at Trakai Island Castle; however, the objective was unknown.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: December 9, 2007
At the Roadblock, one team member had to find one of eight stones out of 150 that could into the rock wall at the fort being rebuilt from the Croatian War of Independence to receive their next clue from the stonemason.
At the Detour, teams had to choose between Short & Long or Long & Short. In Short & Long, teams had to rappel down the walls of Fort Bokar and then scale it with a rope ladder. Then, they had to make their way on foot a longer distance through the confusing old-quarter streets, to find their next clue. In Long & Short, teams had to tandem zipline from the fort, swim to floating platforms, then row a fishing boat around the city walls. When they reached a flagged area, they then had to make their way on foot a shorter distance through the streets, to find their next clue.
;Additional task
Airdate: December 23, 2007
For the only aired Fast Forward of the Race, one team had to travel to Fabio Studio to take part in a local seafaring tradition, which they would discover when they arrived was getting a permanent tattoo drawn on their bodies: the letters ƒƒ for Fast Forward. When each team member had their tattoo completed, they would win the Fast Forward award.
At the Roadblock, one team member had to fly over Tuscany in an ultralight, and scan a radius of the countryside for the name of their next destination: Vinci. If team members thought they spotted the hint, they had to signal their pilot who would then bring them back down. Once on the ground, they would tell the instructor the location and, if correct, the pilot would hand them their next clue. There was a thirty-minute time limit per flight, to allow for refueling.
At the Detour, teams had a choice between Invention or Tradition. In Invention, teams made their way to a nearby courtyard and chose a replica of a centuries-old crane designed by Leonardo da Vinci. They had to first assemble the crane, then use it to lift a large stone off the ground. They then had to place a mirror underneath and read a clue printed on the bottom of the stone. In Tradition, teams made their way to Piazza Guido Masi, and learned a traditional local flag routine. When they performed the routine correctly, the lead flagman would hand them a flag displaying the name of their next destination.
;Additional task
Airdate: December 30, 2007
For their Speed Bump, Kynt & Vyxsin had to find the yoga master at Dariya Mahal and successfully perform a series of yoga poses before being allowed to continue racing.
The Detour was a choice between Paste 'Em or Thread 'Em. In Paste 'Em, teams made their way to a marked underpass in Tulsi Pipe Road of Dadar West Bridge and used the provided supplies to properly paste a 6-panel Bollywood movie poster onto the wall. The panels were large and unwieldy, and if one panel was out of line, teams would have to take them all down and start over. When the judge was satisfied with the advertisement, teams would receive their next clue. In Thread 'Em, teams made their way to Dadar Flower Market, found a marked flower stall called Shyam Pandurang Bhagat, and created a traditional wedding garland. Teams had to thread 108 flowers in an alternating pattern. When the judge agreed that the garland had been properly made, teams delivered it to a nearby bridegroom who gave them the next clue.
In the Roadblock, one team member had to load a bicycle cart with six tanks of propane gas, pedal to the two addresses listed on their order slips, deliver three tanks to each address, and collect receipts as proof of delivery. Once their deliveries were complete, they had to hand the foreman their two order slips and two receipts to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: January 6, 2008
In the Roadblock, one team member had to put on a hat and gloves like the local cabbies and transport a Japanese couple five miles through a maze of confusing, often one-way streets to a specified address. They could not invite a local to lead them or join them in the car, and the couple could not help them. However, they could stop and ask for directions. Upon arrival at the correct address, the couple would hand them their next clue. However, the drivers had to make their way back to their teammate before they read the clue.
The Detour of this leg was a choice between Sense of Touch or Sense of Smell. In Sense of Touch, teams made their way on foot to the Shimojima Building and had to use miniature robots, controlled by cell phones, to play a game of soccer against two robotic defenders. Once each team member had scored a goal, the referee would give them their next clue. In Sense of Smell, teams made their way to the Saera Flower Shop, where only artificial flowers were sold. Once there, they had to use only their noses to identify one real flower, hidden among thousands of artificial flowers in the two-story flower shop. When they found a real flower, the shop owner would give them their next clue.
;Additional task
Airdate: January 13, 2008
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to become a passenger in a car driven by a professional stunt driver, who would maneuver the vehicle onto a giant teeter-totter and then rock back and forth precariously above the ground. Then, the team member would switch into an amphibious car, don a pair of goggles, and be driven underwater for 17 seconds. When they completed the ride, they would receive their next clue.
The Speed Bump required TK & Rachel to find Heping Elementary School, don protective gear, and run through a barrage of fireworks. Once they completed the run and were doused with water, they were allowed to continue racing.
The Detour of this leg had a choice between Fire or Earth. In Fire, teams made their way to Zhongzheng Park to participate in a mystical Chinese ritual by writing messages of luck, good or bad, on Kongming lanterns. They had to burn "spirit money" under the lanterns, heating air that would lift the lanterns into the sky. Once a team sent 20 sky lanterns into the air, they would receive their next clue. In Earth, teams made their way to Youth Park to participate in a local custom used to reduce stress. Team members had to walk barefoot down a path made of jagged stones, turn around, and walk back. When they finished, they would receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: January 20, 2008
The last Detour was a choice of Cut the Cod or Grab the Crab. In Cut the Cod, teams had to cut through several Ling Cod and search for a miniature clue hidden in one of the fish. In Grab the Crab, teams had to jump into the hold of a boat swarming with over 500 live crabs. Then, they had to search through the nipping crustaceans for a crab marked with Race colors to receive their next clue.
In the final Roadblock, one team member had to face a field of things they had encountered along the racecourse. They had to match 10 of 15 recognizable items to the respective legs of the Race, but the combination of items had to meet the following requirements:
Only one combination of items satisfied the conditions and would open the clue box allowing teams to obtain their next clue.
;Additional tasks

U.S. Nielsen ratings

Canadian ratings