The Amazing Race 15


The Amazing Race 15 is the fifteenth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. This season featured 12 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world, and was the last season to date to feature 12 teams of two, as subsequent seasons have featured 11 teams of two as normal.
The fifteenth cycle started on Sunday, September 27, 2009, with a two-hour premiere. It aired on CBS in the United States, and CTV Television Network in Canada, on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT with the season finale on December 6, 2009. The show was hosted by Phil Keoghan. In Asia, it was aired on AXN.
Dating couple Meghan Rickey and Cheyne Whitney were the winners of this Race.
The complete season was released on DVD on May 21, 2014.

Production

Development and filming

CBS aired the fifteenth season during the start of the 2009–2010 television season. CBS was the first broadcaster to announce that the show would be broadcast on Twitter, following Keoghan's own announcement of the show's renewal via Twitter.
The fifteenth season spanned eight countries in 21 days. Teams traveled visiting Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, and Sweden, as well as first time visits to Estonia and the Czech Republic.
All route markers and clue boxes in Vietnam were colored yellow with a center white stripe rather than the typical yellow with a red stripe to avoid confusion with the flag of the former independent state of South Vietnam. This was also done previously in Season 10. These were also the original route markers in Season 1.
The Race introduced a new twist called a Switchback, where teams faced one of the series' challenges marked either memorable or infamous with minor changes. The Switchback that debuted on Leg 8 revisited the infamous Swedish Roadblock from Season 6, in which one team member had to unroll one of 270 hay bales with only 20 containing clues. Instead of being an exact duplicate, however, this Roadblock involved fewer bales and instead of 20 clues, only seven Race flags were hidden. Additionally, the original version had the nine teams competing, but the time this Race reached the task, only five teams were involved. Also, the original version's task leg was an elimination leg, but the leg that featured the Switchback was a non-elimination leg.
This was the second season since Season 10 to feature a surprise elimination at a location other than a Pit Stop, which occurred at the Starting Line. The eliminated team at the Starting Line, Eric and Lisa Paskel, acknowledged in a post-show interview that they were the first team to leave the show voluntarily instead of spending the remainder of the Race at the Elimination Station, as they had previous plans to travel to India. As a consequence, they were not allowed to have any further involvement in the show. Although their travel was over by the time the Race ended, they were not told where the Finish Line was and as a result they were the second team to be absent at the Finish Line to cheer for the top three teams, and had no knowledge of the outcome of the Race before the season finale aired.
This season was the first since Season 11 to have more than two non-elimination points. This was also the first American season in which the first leg was a non-elimination leg. As such, all clues leading to the Pit Stops, including the first leg, ended with the sentence "The last team to check in may be eliminated."
Wayne Newton appeared in the season finale. Teams were instructed to find him in a suite at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, where he then gave them the location of the Finish Line.

Cast

Applications were originally due by February 24, 2009, but the deadline was later extended. Semi-finalist interviews were held between March 20 and March 29, 2009. Following this, finalists were invited to Los Angeles between April 23 and April 30, 2009, for final interviews with the producers. From there, 12 teams were selected as contestants and to date, this is the final season, which featured the 12 teams of two concept. Filming took place around July and August 2009.
Casting calls were also held as host Phil Keoghan cycled across the United States during the months of April and early May 2009 to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, during which Keoghan made stops to help with those casting calls.
Some of the more prominent members of the cast are professional poker players Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle, Miss America 2004 Ericka Dunlap, Harlem Globetrotters Herbert "Flight Time" Lang and Nathaniel "Big Easy" Lofton, and country singer-songwriter Canaan Smith. One member of the cast, Zev Glassenberg, has Asperger's Syndrome, and his teammate, Justin Kanew, is the son of Jeff Kanew, who directed Revenge of the Nerds.
Meghan & Cheyne were married on May 7, 2011 with the teams of Sam & Dan, Maria & Tiffany, and Brian & Ericka were in the wedding party. Brian & Ericka recently decided to divorce prior to this event.

Future appearances

Friends Zev Glassenberg and Justin Kanew and Harlem Globetrotters Nate "Big Easy" Lofton and Herbert "Flight Time" Lang raced again in The Amazing Race 18 among a cast made up of returning teams from seasons 12-17. Flight Time & Big Easy were also chosen to compete in the second All-Stars edition.
Tiffany later competed on of Food Network's Worst Cooks in America and was eliminated in episode six. Brian later appeared on Season 7 of ABC's Shark Tank to secure funding for a potty training product called "EZPeeZ" but was unable to secure a deal. On May 25, 2016, Flight Time & Big Easy appeared on an Amazing Race-themed The Price is Right primetime special.

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:
  1. Eric & Lisa were eliminated at the Starting Line as per the provisions of the first task.
  2. Mika & Canaan initially arrived 10th, but had lost one of the tourists that they were required bring with them. They were required to backtrack to find their missing tourist before being allowed to check in. This did not affect their placement.
  3. Maria & Tiffany lost two of the tourists that they were required bring with them to the Pit Stop. They chose not to backtrack to find the missing tourists and instead took a 2-hour penalty that would be given after checking-in at the Pit Stop. They arrived at the Pit Stop last, but were notified that it was a non-elimination leg. The 2-hour penalty they would have taken from the task was instead applied to their starting time in Leg 2.
  4. In an unaired scene, Lance & Keri used their Blind U-Turn onto Sam & Dan; however, they had already passed the U-Turn point and were therefore unaffected by it.
  5. Zev & Justin initially arrived and checked in 1st, but soon discovered that Zev did not have his passport. They were not allowed to be checked in until they found it and brought it back to the Pit Stop. All other teams checked into the Pit Stop before Zev's passport could be found, resulting in Zev & Justin's elimination.
  6. Mika & Canaan did not finish the task at the Atlantis The Palm resort due to Mika's fear of heights and swimming/water and incurred a 24-hour penalty for quitting the slide task. However, since they checked-in last, they were eliminated without the 24-hour penalty being issued.
  7. Brian & Ericka initially arrived 5th, but were issued a 30-minute penalty as they did not travel by bicycle to the Detour as instructed in their clue. This did not affect their placement.
  8. Maria & Tiffany failed to complete either of the Detour tasks and they elected to take a 24-hour penalty. Long after every other teams had checked-in at the Pit Stop, Phil came to the Detour location to inform them of their elimination, without the 24-hour penalty issued.
  9. Brian & Ericka initially arrived 3rd, but were issued a 30-minute penalty for writing down the letters in the Roadblock task before reaching the office, which was explicitly prohibited in the clue. However, this did not affect their placement, and it was unaired.
  10. Big Easy chose to forfeit the Roadblock at Leg 11 and he & Flight Time were issued a 4-hour penalty at the Roadblock site. Long after they were able to continue racing, all the other teams had checked-in at the Pit Stop. When they finally found their next Route Marker at Kryocentrum, instead of performing the remaining tasks left for this leg, Flight Time & Big Easy were instead instructed to go directly to the Pit Stop for elimination.

    Episode title quotes

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers. The first episode is a two-part episode that shows Legs 1 and 2 of the Race.
  1. "They Thought Godzilla Was Walking Down the Street" – Flight Time
  2. "It's Like Being Dropped on Planet Mars" – Lance
  3. "Sean Penn Cambodia Here We Come" – Justin
  4. "I'm Like Ricky Bobby" – Cheyne
  5. "Do It for the Hood! Do It for the Suburbs!" – Flight Time/Sam
  6. "This Is Not My Finest Hour" – Ericka
  7. "This Is the Worst Thing I've Ever Done in My Life" – Meghan
  8. "We're Not Meant for the Swamp" – Brian
  9. "We're Not Working With Anybody, Ever, Anymore!" – Ericka
  10. "It Starts With an 'F', That's All I'm Saying" – Dan
  11. "Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound" – Elvis Presley impersonator; a cluegiver

    Prizes

The prize for each leg is awarded to the first place team for that leg. All trips are sponsored by Travelocity.
After elimination, five of the first six teams were sequestered at a villa in Phú Quốc, Vietnam to await the finale. The exception was Eric & Lisa, who chose to leave the show upon their elimination. CBS posted short videos on its website after each episode aired in the Pacific Time Zone to show the eliminated teams interacting at the villa.

Leg 1 (United States → Japan)

Airdate: September 27, 2009
The first Roadblock of the Race required one team member to participate in a Japanese-style game show called Sushi Roulette. Once all the teams arrived at the Roadblock location, the host would spin a wheel with eleven plates of sushi, two of which were "wasabi bombs" – temaki-style sushi filled with hot wasabi. If the racer received a wasabi bomb, he or she had two minutes to eat it in order to receive the next clue. If they failed to finish it within the time allotted, they had to play again until they received a new wasabi bomb and could complete the task. Racers who received plain sushi had to eat the sushi and play until they received a wasabi bomb.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: September 27, 2009
For their Speed Bump, Maria & Tiffany had to prepare a serving of the Vietnamese soup phở for the Bến Tàu Du Lịch dockmaster by collecting the ingredients at a soup stand, combining the ingredients, and serving the completed phở to the dockmaster before they could continue racing.
The Roadblock for this leg required one team member to herd 150 ducks out of their pen, lead them across a bridge and back, and then herd them back into their pen in ten minutes using two flags to guide the ducks. When they completed the task, they could get their next clue. With only six available fields, if the team member failed to complete the task within ten minutes, they had to relinquish their spot to other teams before they could start over.
;Additional task
Airdate: October 4, 2009
The first Detour of the Race was a choice between Child's Play or Word Play. In Child's Play, teams had to find a kiosk named Nhiep Anh Công viên Tao Đàn Kiosque Giao Anh in Tao Đàn Park and deliver a concrete animal statue to a children's playground, along with five different colored balloons they collected along their route, in order to receive their next clue. In Word Play, teams had to go up to Hotel A Dong's observation deck and search the traffic circle of Ngã sáu Cộng Hoà in front of the hotel for six Vietnamese letters hidden atop vehicles passing through the circle. Once a security guard approved their letters, teams had to get assistance from the locals to unscramble the letters to spell the Vietnamese word Độc Lập, which means "independence", to receive their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to disassemble two VCRs and organize the parts into separate piles in order to receive their next clue.
;Additional task
;Additional note
Airdate: October 11, 2009
The Detour was a choice between Cover or Wrap. In Cover, teams traveled to a marked motorcycle helmet shop located at the Russian Market, choose four helmets, and had to sell them to a family of four for US$10. When the sale was completed, they had to exchange the money with the store owner for their next clue. In Wrap, teams had to travel to the Russian Market and find stalls 980 and 981, where the shopkeeper would hand them a silk scarf. They then had to search the market for a woman wearing an identical scarf and bring the woman back to the stall to receive their next clue from the shopkeeper.
In this Roadblock, one team member had to put on a monkey mask and tail and perform three Classical Khmer monkey dance maneuvers as demonstrated by the monkey dancer to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: October 18, 2009
The only Fast Forward of the Race instructed teams to travel to the Dubai Autodrome, where one team member had to drive a Formula Three open wheel race car and complete a single lap around the track in 45 seconds or less. The first team to do so would win the Fast Forward award and would be driven to the Pit Stop in a Maserati.
In the Roadblock, one team member had to pick a traditional water bag and search the desert reserve for a series of urns buried in the sand. Some of the urns contained water, while others were empty. When they filled their bag with water, they had to give it to a Bedouin and his thirsty camels to receive their next clue.
The Detour was a choice between Build a Snowman or Find a Snowman. In Build a Snowman, teams had to take snow from Ski Dubai and carry it outside, where the temperature was approximately. They then had to build a snowman complete with two coal eyes, a carrot nose and a top hat before the snow melted. If the snowman was to the attendant's satisfaction, she would hand teams their next clue. In Find a Snowman, teams had to ride a ski lift to the top of the artificial mountain, sled down to the bottom, and dig through a mound of snow for a toy snowman buried within it. When teams found one, they had to give it to a person in a polar bear suit in exchange for their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: October 25, 2009
The Roadblock for the leg required one team member to row an inflatable dinghy out to a yacht anchored offshore and meet a sheikh on board, who would give the team member a watch. After rowing back to the dock, they had to open a locked briefcase they had been told to pick up at the beginning of the leg, figuring out that the time displayed on the watch corresponded with the combination to the briefcase's lock. When they opened their briefcase, they could retrieve their next clue in the briefcase.
The Detour was a choice between Gold or Glass. For both Detour options, teams had to travel by abra across the Dubai Creek to the neighborhood of Deira. In Gold, teams had to find Deepu Jewellers in Deira's Gold Souk, where they would use a precision scale to weigh out US$500,000 worth of gold to the nearest ounce to receive their next clue. The price of gold per ounce was displayed on a television monitor but would change by the minute. In Glass, teams made their way to the Spice Souk in Deira, where they had to open a crate and properly assemble twelve hookahs using all parts from the crate and three displayed hookahs as guides to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: November 1, 2009
In this Roadblock, one team member had to climb to the top of the Martinitoren and count all of the bells in the carillon. When the team member provided the correct number to the carillonneur, they received their next clue. Otherwise they had to climb back up to the carillon to count again.
The leg's Detour required teams to dress in traditional Dutch costumes—one male and one female— and to ride bicycles to their Detour: Farmer's Game or Farmer's Dance. In Farmer's Game, teams had to strip down to their Dutch underwear and swim across a creek. On the other side, they had to retrieve a special set of golf clubs and play 3 holes of Farmersgolf. Team members took turns with each stroke and had to finish within par of eight strokes on each hole to receive their next clue. In Farmer's Dance, teams had to find a country festival, where one team member had to hit the bell on a high striker. They then had to enter a dance hall to learn a traditional Dutch folk dance and perform that dance in front of a crowd. If the dance was to the instructor's satisfaction, each team member would be given a serving of soused herring, which they had to eat in order to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: November 8, 2009
The Detour was a choice between Nobel Dynamite or Viking Alphabet. In Nobel Dynamite, teams traveled to a rock quarry and had to fill sandbags to create a protective bunker. Once they were protected, they would set off an explosion with dynamite, which unearthed a metal box containing the next clue. In Viking Alphabet, teams had to decode a message in Elder Futhark on a runestone that told them to "Locate Trygve the Strong Viking" in order to receive their next clue.
The Roadblock for this leg was a Switchback to Season 6, where one team member had to search through 186 hay bales to find one of seven flags. When team members found one of the flags, they were allowed to proceed to the nearby Pit Stop.
;Additional task
;Additional note
Airdate: November 15, 2009
For their Speed Bump, Gary & Matt had to find a Saunabuss parked nearby. They then had to strip naked and spend five minutes in the sauna with some locals before they could continue racing.
This leg's Roadblock required one team member to enter the cellar of the Mustpeade Maja and participate in a ceremony of the Brotherhood of Blackheads Guild. Team members had to pick up a candelabra with a room number attached to it from a table of revelers. When they found the room, they were given what appeared to be a blank scroll. Team members had to figure out that their next clue was written in invisible ink and could be revealed by holding the scroll over the light of the candle. The clue read "Pikk Hermann Tower Gardens", which was their next destination.
The Detour was a choice between Serve or Sling. In Serve, teams participated in a game of volleyball in the Keava bog, where they had to score a total of five points against a local team in order to receive their next clue. Only two teams at a time could perform this task. In Sling, teams had to put on bog shoes and walk out onto a bog, where they used slingshots to fire assorted vegetables at a target, which when hit would collapse a table full of cabbages along with their next clue.
;Additional task
Airdate: November 22, 2009
The leg's Detour was a choice between Fast & Furious or Slow & Steady. In Fast & Furious, teams had to row a kayak down a man-made whitewater rafting course used by professional kayakers and grab a ribbon suspended over the course which had their next clue written on it. If their boat capsized before reaching the clue, they would have to start the course over. In Slow & Steady, teams had to pull themselves along an aerial rope course suspended above the rafting course. When they reached the end of the rope, they each got a ribbon that, when combined, had the next clue written on them.
For this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search the Estates Theatre for a miniature mandolin. Once they found it, they had to bring it onstage to an actor dressed as the titular character from the Mozart opera Don Giovanni, which premiered at the theatre, to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: November 29, 2009
For their Speed Bump, Brian & Ericka had to make their way to the M1 Lounge, where each of them had to prepare and drink a traditional shot of absinthe before they could continue racing.
In this Roadblock, one team member entered the museum and searched among several hundred ringing telephones for the five that had a person on the other end of the line. A voice from each phone would give the team member one letter of the word "FRANZ" – a reference to Franz Kafka. Additionally, team members had to memorize each letter they received and were not allowed to write any of them down for reference before entering the supervisor's office. There, the team member had to fill out a form with several biographical questions and attempt to unscramble the five letters to form his name. If they were correct, the inspector would hand them their next clue. If they were wrong, the team member would have to fill out the form again before they could unscramble the letters again. This task would be featured again on Season 30 as a Switchback.
The Detour was a choice between Legend or Lager. In Legend, teams had to build a golem by placing wet clay around a hay frame and then transport it to the Old New Synagogue. If the golem was to the satisfaction of the rabbis, teams would get their next clue. In Lager, teams had to carry a total of thirty glasses of beer from a brewery called Pivovar a Restaurace "U Fleků" through the busy town square and deliver them to a bar called Restaurace Kozička to obtain their next clue.
;Additional task
Airdate: December 6, 2009
The final Roadblock of the Race required one team member to rappel down the exterior of the Mandalay Bay hotel tower face-down in order to retrieve the next clue.
;Additional tasks

U.S. Nielsen ratings

Canadian ratings

Awards

In 2010, The Amazing Race 15 was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards.