The Amazing Race 26


The Amazing Race 26 is the twenty-sixth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. In this installment, eleven teams of dating couples competed in a race around the world for a US$1 million grand prize. The season premiered on CBS for the 2014–15 television season with a special 90-minute episode on Wednesday, February 25, 2015. Following the premiere, the program aired in the same time slot that the previous season of The Amazing Race took. The season finale aired on May 15, 2015.
Blind date couple Laura Pierson & Tyler Adams, known as "Team SoCal," were the winners of the 26th season of The Amazing Race.

Production

Development and filming

This season covered, five continents, and eight countries, including visits to Japan, Thailand, Namibia, Germany, and for the first time Monaco. In some legs of the Race, a special clue was available. Teams that received the special clue were given a Date Night reward, an opportunity to participate in a romantic activity.
The Save from the previous season returned for this season but was unaired, unclaimed, and unused. It could be obtained during the 3rd leg of the Race by completing both sides of the Detour.
For the second season in a row, four teams competed in the final leg of the Race. However, the host of the show, Phil Keoghan, eliminated one team in the middle of the final leg, leaving only three teams to race to the Finish Line for the $1 million grand prize.
Starting with this season, the scenes in which host Phil Keoghan described the country and Pit Stop were removed and replaced with the teams discussing what happened during the previous episode or a team having their date night before the next leg began.

Casting and contestants

The cast included Olympic couple Aly Dudek and Steven Langton, as well as New Kids on the Block member Jonathan Knight, racing with his boyfriend, Harley Rodriguez. This season was the first in the history of the American edition or any international edition of the program, which did not include at least one all-female team. The reasons for not casting at least one lesbian dating couple, whether preexisting or blind date, are unknown.
At the Pit Stop of Leg 3, Matt Cucolo proposed to Ashley Gordon, who accepted, becoming the third team to do so after Hayden & Aaron from The Amazing Race 6 and Chad & Stephanie from The Amazing Race 17.

Future appearances

In June 2015, Jackie Ibarra and Jeff Weldon were revealed as additional contestants by Race host Phil Keoghan on the seventeenth season of fellow CBS reality show Big Brother. Weldon was evicted third on Day 29. Ibarra was evicted eighth during a double eviction on Day 57 and became the second member of the jury.

Marketing

and Ford continued their sponsorships with The Amazing Race. Fitbit became a new sponsor this season. Each team member received Fitbit devices, which were used in one of the tasks in Leg 10. This was also the last season to have Ford as a sponsor for the show.

Results

The following teams participated in the Race.
  1. Jeff & Lyda used their Blind U-Turn on Jeff & Jackie; however, they already passed the U-Turn point and therefore were unaffected by it.
  2. At the Leg 3 Pit Stop, Matt proposed to Ashley, who accepted.
  3. Bergen & Kurt left their Ford Focus vehicle behind on their way to Schlafwagenfabrik due to difficulties driving it, and instead traveled by taxi. They were then issued a 2-hour penalty upon arrival, as they did not have their vehicle present to perform the task there. Throughout the leg, Bergen & Kurt had to walk or use public transportation. Additionally, Bergen & Kurt got lost while finding the Detour location of their choice and fell behind all the other teams. Phil met with them where they rested the night to inform them of their elimination.
  4. Jelani & Jenny used the Express Pass to bypass the Detour in Leg 8; However, they still had to do one side of the Detour since Matt & Ashley U-Turned them before they got to the board.
  5. Mike & Rochelle were the last team to arrive at the P2 ranch and were eliminated in the middle part of the final leg.

    Prizes

The prize for each leg was awarded to the first place team for that corresponding leg of the Race. The Date Night reward was a romantic activity at the Pit Stop, and its invitation was found at random inside a clue envelope.
Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.
  1. "Great Way to Start a Relationship" – Hayley
  2. "I Got the Smartest Dude" – Jackie and Laura
  3. "#MurphysLaw" – Harley
  4. "The Great Amazing Nasty Race" – Hayley
  5. "Get in That Lederhosen, Baby" – Tyler
  6. "Smells Like a Million Bucks" – Tyler
  7. "Back in Business" – Hayley
  8. "Moment of Truth" – Tyler
  9. "Can I Get a Hot Tub!" – Tyler
  10. "Fruits of Our Labor" – Jenny
  11. "In It to Win It" – Tyler
  12. "Monster Truck Heroes" – Jenny

    Race summary

Leg 1 (United States → Japan)

Airdate: February 25, 2015
The first Detour of the Race was a choice between Syncing Steps or Samurai Sake. In Syncing Steps, teams traveled to Shinjuku Central Park to learn a series of synchronized "robotic" dance moves performed by members of World Order. Once World Order leader Genki Sudo approved their dance, he would give teams their next clue. In Samurai Sake, teams traveled to Nakano Sakaue Station Tavern and 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 of bottles. When they presented the correct sake bottle to the samurai, they would make a toast, and teams would receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: February 27, 2015
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to solve a traditional puzzle box called yosegi that contained the password they would need to tell the guards to receive their next clue. One of the clue envelopes contained a Date Night reward.
In the leg's Blind Detour, teams had to choose their task based only on the Detour task name. In Share, teams made their way 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, to receive their next clue. In Chair, teams traveled to the M-Wave Olympic Arena. One team member would sit on a chair mounted on a sled while their partner pushed the chair around a speed skating track and then switch places after one lap. Teams had to finish both laps within a combined time of three minutes and fifty-five seconds to receive their next clue from a coach.
;Additional task
Airdate: March 6, 2015
The Detour was a choice between Ski and Tree. In Ski, teams traveled to Phuket Wake Park, where each member had to ride one lap of the wave pool on a wakeboard to receive their next clue. In Tree, teams traveled to Flying Hanuman, where they dressed as waiters and had to deliver a full meal intact to customers by zip line to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: March 13, 2015
For their Speed Bump, Harley & Jonathan had to assemble a traditional Thai grasshopper made out of river reeds. Once done, they could continue racing.
The Detour was a choice between two public forms of Thai transportation. In Wheel, teams traveled on foot to Sathon Road and then took a tuk tuk to the Snooker Club. Once there, they had to play snooker until they sank a red ball. Then, they received a bottle of milk for them to take to the Caturday Café and give to the resident cats. Once the cats were fed, the café's owner would give teams their next clue. In Water, teams traveled on foot to Sathon Pier and then took a water taxi to Wat Intharam Pier, where they searched for Wat Klang Food Market. At the market, each team member had to eat a thousand-year-old egg. Then, they received a metal placard clue sending them to the Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen temple to participate in a traditional Thai prayer before receiving their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, the team member had to use power tools to remove the transmission from a faulty engine block. Inside the transmission was a screwdriver with the next clue tucked inside that handle. One of the clue envelopes contained a Date Night reward.
;Additional task
Airdate: April 3, 2015
This leg's Detour was a choice between Stein or Stack. In Stein, teams headed to the Wolfsee Halle restaurant, where they had to carry twenty-two steins full of beer and carefully deliver them all at once while walking through a crowd. If they could deliver the mugs without dropping or spilling them, they would receive their next clue. In Stack, teams traveled to the grounds of Hasenöhrl-Hof and had to vertically stack fifteen empty beer crates with one team member standing on top of them. If teams could complete the stack without falling or toppling the crates, they would get their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to learn a Bavarian love song and then serenade their partner while perched on a ladder. If they could pronounce the words correctly and stay on key, they would receive their next clue. If they were incorrect, a bucket of water would be dumped on them and they would have to start over.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: April 10, 2015
In this leg's Roadblock, which homaged Grace Kelly, one team member had to travel by foot and order a bouquet of roses at St Martin Gardens and a box of chocolates at Chocolaterie de Monaco. Then they delivered them to their partner waiting on a marked yacht at Port Hercules for their next clue.
At the Casino de Monte Carlo, teams had to take part in a Detour which was chosen for them by their roulette spin. A Black Spin took teams to Win By a Nose, where teams had to make Fragonard Parfumeur's signature perfume and cologne using 12 essences to match the original scents. When the perfumer confirmed that teams recreated the scents, they received their next clue. A Red Spin would send the teams to Don't Slack Off, where each team member had to zip-line above the city to La Turbie, then walk a tightrope back in order to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: April 17, 2015
This leg's Roadblock required one team member to work with bushmen and build a traditional hut using wooden sticks and dried grass to receive their next clue.
The leg's Detour was a choice between Track or Pack, each with a limit of three stations. In Track, teams had to choose a truck and use a telemetric device consisting of an antenna and beacon to track down an elephant to receive their next clue. In Pack, teams worked as butchers and had to cut slices of wildebeest meat, avoiding the bones, until they completely filled a bucket. Teams then boarded a truck and fed the meat to a pack of African wild dogs to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: April 17, 2015
The Speed Bump required Aly & Steve to properly assemble six toy planes from repurposed soda cans before they could continue racing.
The leg's Roadblock required one team member to watch a yellow supply case drop from an airplane and retrieve it on foot. After locating the supply case, they had to walk to a hilltop to pick up the Travelocity Roaming Gnome and reunite with their partner at the starting point to open the supply case containing their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Work or Play. In Work, teams had to attach five tire to their vehicles and drive over a bumpy dirt road to smooth the to a foreman's satisfaction. Once the task was complete, the foreman would hand them their next clue. In Play, teams had to cross-country sand ski across a series of sand dunes and then slide down on a sand board to the bottom of a dune, where Henrik May would give them their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: April 24, 2015
This leg's Roadblock required one team member to wear a traditional Dutch costume and search among hundreds of klompen for one that exactly matched the one displayed in the store. When they matched the pair, the cobbler would hand them their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice of Soak or Shuffle. In Soak, teams had to pilot an electric-powered hot tub through the city's canals, while solving a rebus along the route. Once teams wrote down the right answer, which was "Ice Skating Rink," they would receive their next clue. In Shuffle, teams had to play a traditional shuffleboard game called sjoelen and score 51 points in order to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: May 1, 2015
The Speed Bump required Matt & Ashley to use an old-fashioned typewriter to properly type out a llama loan application before they could continue racing.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to harvest a row of sugarcane using a machete to receive their next clue and a bundle of sugarcane from a farmer.
The leg's Detour was a choice between Mamas or Papas. In Mamas, teams had to walk through the busy streets of Otuzco's marketplace to find five different shops and purchase nine ingredients used to prepare chicha, a Peruvian moonshine, from a provided recipe, then deliver them to an elderly lady known as La Señora de La Chicha. She would trade the ingredients for a glass of chicha that teams had to drink in order to receive their next clue. In Papas, teams traveled to a lush potato field and had to pack potatoes into bags. They then had to deliver the potatoes to a market and display each type of potato in a separate bin of a marked stall. Once these potatoes were perfectly arranged, the potato vendor would give teams their next clue. If the potatoes were incorrectly sorted, the stall would collapse and teams would have to start over.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: May 8, 2015
This leg's Detour was a choice between Shake Your Hips or Make Some Bricks. In Shake Your Hips, teams dressed in dancing costumes and were taught the marinera dance. After they performed with approving satisfaction from a head judge, they would get their next clue. In Make Some Bricks, teams traveled to the famous Chan Chan ruins where they needed to make twelve wet bricks from mud and sand. Once all twelve bricks were completed to the workers' specifications, they then used a wheelbarrow to transport the twelve dry bricks to a work site. Once the delivery was complete, a foreman gave them their next clue.
This leg's Roadblock had both team members pick up caballito de totora then carry them to the beach on foot. Once there, the chosen team member had to paddle out to a buoy to get their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: May 15, 2015
The final leg's first Roadblock had one team member dress in a Dallas Cowboys uniform, then get harnessed and pulled to the very top of the stadium, where they then collected a football playbook. After returning to the ground, they had to catch a touchdown pass and score a field goal to receive their next clue.
The final Roadblock of the Race had the team member that did not perform the previous Roadblock rappel from the top of Reunion Tower and spot a row of yellow and red flags, which were near the Trinity River and where teams would find their next clue.
;Additional tasks

Ratings

U.S. Nielsen ratings

No.TitleAir dateRating/share
Viewers
DVR
DVR viewers
Total
Total viewers
Ref
1"Great Way to Start a Relationship"1.5/46.160.92.4
2"I Got the Smartest Dude"1.1/46.150.71.8
3"#MurphysLaw"1.2/56.070.71.9
4"The Great Amazing Nasty Race"1.3/56.29
5"Get in That Lederhosen, Baby"1.3/56.051.938.00
6"Smells Like a Million Bucks"1.1/45.75
7"Back in Business"1.1/45.460.71.8
8"Moment of Truth"1.1/45.460.71.8
9"Can I Get a Hot Tub!"1.1/45.750.71.8
10"Fruits of Our Labor"1.1/55.52
11"In It to Win It"1.1/55.480.71.8
12"Monster Truck Heroes"1.1/55.720.61.811.77.53

Canadian ratings

Canadian broadcaster CTV also airs The Amazing Race on Fridays. Episodes air at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Central.
Canadian DVR ratings are included in Numeris' count.
No.Air dateEpisodeViewers
Rank
Ref
1"Great Way to Start a Relationship"1.96910
2"I Got the Smartest Dude"1.96910
3"#MurphysLaw"2.0469
4"The Great Amazing Nasty Race"1.96010
5"Get in That Lederhosen, Baby"2.0156
6"Smells Like a Million Bucks"1.9847
7"Back in Business"1.52519
8"Moment of Truth"1.52519
9"Can I Get a Hot Tub!"1.73016
10"Fruits of Our Labor"1.55919
11"In It to Win It"1.67414
12"Monster Truck Heroes"1.7739