The Amazing Race 20


The Amazing Race 20 is the twentieth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 20 features eleven teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world.
The twentieth Race premiered on Sunday, February 19, 2012. It aired on CBS in the United States on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT with the two-hour season finale on May 6, 2012. The show is hosted by Phil Keoghan.
Married Army couple Rachel and Combat Pilot Dave Brown Jr., were the winners of The Amazing Race 20. At eight legs, they set a record on the American version of the competition for winning the most legs in a single season and at the time were also the most successful winning team on the American edition of The Amazing Race.

Production

Development and filming

CBS renewed the series for its 20th season in June 16, 2011. This season spans a little over in twenty-two cities and five continents with first-time visits to Paraguay and Azerbaijan. It featured tasks where teams are forced to skydive in Argentina, visit a famous castle that inspired Disney in Germany, and train with Maasai warriors in Tanzania. Italy was also confirmed for this season.
Paraguayan Beauty Queen Fiorella Migliore appeared as a Pit Stop greeter during Leg 3.
Leg 8 marks the first time since the inception of the Double U-Turn twist whereas two teams who were subjected to a U-Turn survived elimination. Leg 10 also marked its second occurrence where a team who won the Fast Forward were also eliminated at the same leg. This season was the second time in which the teams that finished in the top three of Leg 1 also completed the entire Race, after Season 1. This season also saw the return of Fast Forward, which was absent on the previous two seasons.

Casting

The cast includes former Big Brother contestants Brendon Villegas & Rachel Reilly as well as Major League Soccer players Elliot and Andrew Weber, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus clowns Dave and Cherie Gregg and professional golfer Maiya Tanaka who previously appeared on the Golf Channel's reality competition The Big Break. It also included a pair of federal agents, United States Border Patrol agents, and dating divorcees.
On September 8, 2012, Brendon & Rachel were married.

Future appearances

Brendon & Rachel were later selected for The Amazing Race: All-Stars along with Bopper & Mark; however, Bopper was unable to compete with Mark due to signs of pancreatitis and was replaced with Mallory Ervin of Season 17 and Unfinished Business to form a composite team. Art & JJ and Rachel also returned to compete on The Amazing Race 31.
After the completion of the Race, fan favorites William "Bopper" Minton & Mark Jackson were awarded a check for $10,000 from the hosts of the daytime talk show The Talk. On May 25, 2016, Bopper & Mark appeared on an Amazing Race-themed The Price is Right primetime special, while Rachel Reilly appeared the night prior on a Big Brother-themed special. On July 31, 2018, Brendon & Rachel appeared on a special Survivor vs Big Brother episode of Fear Factor and won $50,000 for UCLA Cancer Research. In 2019, Maiya Tanaka competed on the ABC reality show Holey Moley.

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 due to inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order:
  1. Rachel & Dave used their Express Pass to bypass the Detour in Leg 3.
  2. Rachel & Dave initially arrived 2nd, but were issued a 2-hour penalty for using up all of their allotted bottles at the Roadblock and not finishing the task. Four teams checked in during their penalty time, dropping Rachel & Dave to 6th.
  3. Rachel & Dave initially arrived at the Finish Line 1st, but they did not complete the leg's second Roadblock, having found the Finish Line by chance. They were required to turn back and complete the second Roadblock before being allowed to check in. This did not affect their placement as they still had checked in first and won the Race.

    Episode title quotes

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.
  1. "Tears of a Clown" – Cherie
  2. "You Know I'm Not as Smart as You" – Rachel
  3. "Bust Me Right in the Head With It" – Bopper
  4. "Taste Your Salami" – Kerri
  5. "Uglier Than a Mud Rail Fence" – Mark
  6. "This Is Wicked Strange" – JJ
  7. "I Didn't Make Her Cry" – Vanessa
  8. "Let Them Drink Their Haterade" – Rachel
  9. "Bollywood Travolta" – Art
  10. "I Need Hair to Be Pretty" – Rachel
  11. "It's a Great Place to Become Millionaires" – Dave

    Prizes

The prize for each leg is awarded to the first place team for that leg. Trips are sponsored by Travelocity.

Leg 1 (United States → Argentina)

Airdate: February 19, 2012
In the first Roadblock of the Race, the chosen team member had to use a provided map to navigate to a skydiving drop zone. Meanwhile, the non-participating team member had to board an airplane and tandem skydive to that location. Once team members were reunited, the jump master would give them their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: February 26, 2012
The first Detour of the Race was a choice between Boil My Water and Light My Fire. In Boil My Water, teams traveled to one of three nearby small villages and grabbed equipment from a pickup truck to build a solar kitchen. Once the oven was built, they had to put a kettle full of water into the middle of a dish and place the kitchen in direct sunlight. Then they had to wait for the kettle to come to a boil and whistle before the solar panel expert would give them their next clue. In Light My Fire, teams traveled to a nearby river, where they had to gather 40 pieces of firewood and clay and load it onto a donkey, then deliver their goods to a local pottery workshop called Taller "El Obelisco", where the potter will give them their next clue.
For this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to go to a cattle auction and listen to the auctioneer give the total weight of the cattle in the pen. Teams then had to calculate the average weight of a head of cattle in the pen, without using a calculator, and give the correct number to a gaucho to receive their next clue. If the auctioneer moved onto another pen before they got the correct answer to the gaucho, they would have to start over with the next pen.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: March 4, 2012
The Detour was a choice between Stacked Up and Strung Out. In Stacked Up, teams had to make their way to the Mercado Central de Abasto, Paraguay's largest fruit market, and successfully stack watermelons into a 10-by-10 pyramid to receive their next clue from the fruit monger. In Strung Out, teams traveled to an auditorium at the Universidad Nacional de Asunción, where they had to properly string a harp, Paraguay's national instrument, so that it was ready to be tuned to receive their next clue from the harp conductor.
The Roadblock required one team member to perform a traditional Paraguayan bottle dance, which required them to perform a choreographic routine with a glass bottle on their head without breaking the bottle to receive their next clue from the lead dancer. If the bottle broke, racers had to start over with a new bottle. For this task, each team member was given only 50 bottles, and if they broke all the bottles before completing the Roadblock, they would incur a 2-hour penalty.
;Additional task
Airdate: March 11, 2012
The Race's first Fast Forward required one team member to pilot a remote controlled helicopter and land it on a replica of the Lingotto building's helipad placed on a helmet worn by their teammate to win the Fast Forward award.
The Roadblock required the chosen team member to rappel into the spiral ramps of the Lingotto building and stop to retrieve a clue on the way down. If they did not complete the task within two minutes, the team member would have to start over.
The Detour for this leg was a choice between Clean That Statue and Name That Salami. In Clean That Statue, teams had to go to L'Arte Marmi and use the equipment provided to properly clean a marble statue. Once the statue was in pristine condition, they would receive their next clue. In Name That Salami, teams had to go to the Gastronomia Salumeria to taste and memorize the names of fourteen different kinds of salami: piccante, cacciatorino, tartufo, mucca, toscano, 'nduja, aglio, cotto, cinghiale, finocchiona, felino, noci, barolo, and mandola. They then had to travel to the Piazza Vittorio Veneto and find the designated salami vendor to correctly identify and name all fourteen types of salamis they had tasted. Once they got all fourteen correct, the salumiere would give them their next clue.
;Additional task
Airdate: March 18, 2012
For their Speed Bump, Bopper & Mark had to dress up in traditional Bavarian clothing and learn how to yodel a specific tune by listening to a master yodeler before they could continue racing.
The leg's Detour was a choice between Fairy Tale and Champion Male. In Fairy Tale, teams followed a trail of gingerbread, picking up pieces along the way, to a witch's house. Once there, they had use the pieces they picked up to make the roof for a gingerbread house to the satisfaction of a witch to receive their next clue. In Champion Male, teams had to travel to the Wetz-Stoa Stub'n restaurant in Unterammergau, choose a beard enthusiast, and style his beard to match a picture of a champion from the World Beard and Moustache Championships using provided haircare products to receive them their next clue.
For this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to use the Travelocity Roaming Gnome to participate in a game of ice stock sport, known in German as Eisstockschießen. Teams had to push the Roaming Gnome onto a white bullseye on the ice in order to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: March 25, 2012
The Race's second Fast Forward required teams to travel to Saman Ot Bazary, where they had to unload 150 bales of hay and stack them ten bales long, three bales wide, and five bales high. The first team to unload and stack the bales correctly would win the Fast Forward award.
For this Roadblock, one team member had to participate in a helicopter crash training exercise by donning safety gear and boarding a helicopter simulator that then submerged and inverted in a pool of water. Racers then had to evacuate the simulator through a window and swim to a lifeboat to retrieve the next clue.
The Detour was a choice of Apples or Oil. In Apples, teams traveled to Yaşil Bazaar Fruit Market, where they had to unload and search through a Soviet-era car filled with a ton of apples for one apple marked with a Race flag that they could trade it for their next clue. In Oil, teams traveled to Naftalan health spa, where they had to clean crude oil off a client, first by using a shoehorn and then by scrubbing him clean, to receive their next clue.

Leg 7 (Azerbaijan → Tanzania)

Airdate: April 8, 2012
The Detour for this leg required teams to use bicycles to travel to Soneto Village. Once there, the Maasai villagers would dress them in traditional clothing before they could select either option: Marksmanship and Courtship. In Marksmanship, each team member had to use a traditional Maasai weapon called a rungu to hit a clay target attached to a spinning bicycle wheel to receive their next clue. In Courtship, teams had to learn how to perform the traditional Maasai jumping ritual called adumu. Teams had to jump up and down for one minute to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: April 15, 2012
The Detour was a choice between Water Supply or Air Supply. In Water Supply, teams had to pick up a cart with nine empty water jugs, wait in line at a well to fill the jugs, then return them to the house where they had picked them up to receive their next clue. In Air Supply, teams had to repair a flat tire on a bicycle by removing the tire and inner tube without removing the wheel from the bike, then finding the leak and patching it. They then had to reinstall the tube and tire, inflate the tire, and allow someone to take the bike for a test ride in order to obtain their next clue.
The Speed Bump required Nary & Jamie to properly set up a display stand using a painting as a guide before they could continue racing.
The Roadblock required one team member to dress in protective beekeeper's gear and harvest of honeycomb from an African bee hive to receive their next clue from the beekeeper.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: April 22, 2012
The Roadblock required one team member to participate in a Bollywood movie dance routine. After learning the dance moves, they had to perform the dance with thirty extras to the satisfaction of the lead choreographer to receive their next clue.
The Detour was a choice between Cricket and Clutch It. In Cricket, teams traveled to Dr. Ambedkar Stadium, where each team member had to hit one ball bowled by a professional cricket player past a boundary, either along the ground or through the air. When they completed the task, the team coach would give teams their next clue. In Clutch It, teams traveled to A2Z Driving School, where they had to learn how to properly drive an auto rickshaw and transport passengers around a slalom training course. Once both team members made it through the course without hitting any of the obstacles, their instructor would give them their next clue.
;Additional task
;Additional note
Airdate: April 29, 2012
For their Speed Bump, Bopper & Mark had to paint a tiger face on a Puli Kali dancer's belly before they could continue racing.
The Fast Forward on this leg was a Switchback from Season 7, where one team had to travel to Mutharamman Devasthanam Hindu temple to take part in a traditional good luck ritual to win the Fast Forward award: completely shaving their heads.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to spin of rope made from coconut husks and spool four other rope bundles onto a spindle in order to receive their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Pachyderm or Pack a Box. In Pachyderm, teams had to properly decorate an Asian elephant with a headdress and golden ornaments, then transport fifteen wheelbarrow loads of elephant manure to a nearby truck, before receiving their next clue. In Pack a Box, teams made their way to a ginger processing centre. There, teams had to collect ten empty boxes, fill them with sifted ginger, stencil a label on each box, and deliver the boxes to a shipping depot to receive their next clue from the manager.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: May 6, 2012
This leg's Roadblock required one team member to participate in a Japanese game show called "Bring That Chicken Home". Racers had to run on a treadmill while trying to grab three rubber chickens hanging from the ceiling. After grabbing the chickens, racers had to jump on a platform at the end of the treadmill to receive their next clue from the host.
The Detour was a choice between Bingo Shout-Out and Photo Cut-Out. In Bingo Shout-Out, teams traveled to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant and participated in a game of bingo using pieces of sushi. The chef would call out pieces of sushi and teams would have to find the matching sushi with a letter attached and put it on their bingo card. Once they got five pieces in a row, they had to call out "Sushi" for verification. When the chef verified a proper bingo, the team then had to eat the five winning pieces of sushi before the chef would give them their next clue. In Photo Cut-Out, teams had to convince locals in groups of three to pose behind three sumo wrestler cut-outs. Once teams got ten photos, they could trade them for their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: May 6, 2012
The leg's first Roadblock required one team member to make a traditional Japanese treat brought to Hawaii known as shave ice. Using a katana, they had to shave enough ice to fill a bucket to a given line to receive their next clue from Hawaii Five-0 actor Taylor Wily.
In the final Roadblock of the Race, the team member who sat out the first Roadblock had to participate in traditional Hawaiian games. The first game was hee hōlua, land sledding down a hill without falling over, and then a game of ulu maika, bowling a lava rock, traditionally used by Hawaiian warriors to break the ankles of enemies, through a goal on a field. Once both games were completed, teams would be given their final clue.
;Additional tasks
No episode aired on April 1, 2012, due to CBS's broadcast of the Academy of Country Music Awards and CTV's broadcast of the Juno Awards.

U.S. Nielsen ratings

Canadian broadcaster CTV also aired The Amazing Race on Sundays. Episodes aired at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, Central, and Atlantic. The only exception to this was the broadcast of the second episode which conflicted with CTV's broadcast of the 84th Academy Awards; The Amazing Race was shown instead at 6:00 p.m. in the Eastern, Central, and Atlantic time zones, and immediately after the broadcast of the Oscars in the Pacific and Mountain time zones.
#AirdateEpisodeViewers
Rank
1February 19, 2012"Tears of a Clown"2.422#3
2February 26, 2012"You Know I'm Not as Smart as You"1.939#8
3March 4, 2012"Bust Me Right in the Head With It"2.526#2
4March 11, 2012"Taste Your Salami"2.442#4
5March 18, 2012"Uglier Than a Mud Rail Fence"2.443#1
6March 25, 2012"This Is Wicked Strange"2.490#1
7April 8, 2012"I Didn't Make Her Cry"2.358#3
8April 15, 2012"Let Them Drink Their Haterade"2.296#1
9April 22, 2012"Bollywood Travolta"2.587#1
10April 29, 2012"I Need Hair to Be Pretty"2.613#2
11May 6, 2012"It's a Great Place to Become Millionaires"2.602#2