The Amazing Race 29


The Amazing Race 29 is the twenty-ninth installment of the American reality television show The Amazing Race. Unlike previous seasons, which almost exclusively feature teams with preexisting relationships, this edition features 22 contestants who were all complete strangers that met for the first time and formed eleven teams of two at the Starting Line. These teams competed in a race around the world for a grand prize.
The season premiered on Thursday, March 30, 2017 on CBS for the 2016–17 television season replacing the low-rated Training Day. The season finale aired on June 1, 2017. Brooke Camhi and Scott Flanary were the winners of this season of the Race.

Production and filming

Development

In March 2016, CBS renewed The Amazing Race for the 2016–17 TV season, but was left out of the Fall schedule for the first time since Season 12 and the entire Fall schedule run since the 2003–04 TV season. The show's Friday time slot instead went to new drama series MacGyver. It was announced in November 2016 that the season would premiere Friday, April 21, 2017 in its regular Friday time slot after MacGyver had finished its season run. On March 10, 2017, CBS announced that it was moving low-rated new drama Training Day to Saturdays and would move the Race premiere up to March 30 to fill the now vacated Thursday, 10pm time slot.
The season included visits to 17 cities across five continents and nine countries over with teams traveling to countries including Panama, Tanzania, Norway, and Greece. Filming began on June 10, 2016 in Los Angeles, and concluded on July 2, 2016 in Chicago.
This season also introduced a few alterations to the Race rules. While the traditional limit on Roadblock performances were still enforced, there was an additional requirement wherein team members could not perform more than four Roadblocks before the ninth leg of the Race. Additionally, there was no limit on how many times a team could use the U-Turn on this season.

Casting

snowboarder Matt Ladley was one of the twenty-two individuals included in this season's cast.

Future appearances

Becca & Floyd from "Team Fun" returned to compete on The Amazing Race 31.
In 2020, Jennifer "Jenn" Lee from "Team Long Hair Don't Care" appeared on the of The Challenge, thus becoming the first contestant from The Amazing Race to be featured on the MTV series, and was eliminated on the second episode.

Results

As announced by CBS, the following teams participated in the Race. Unlike the traditional format of the Race, these contestants arrived at the Starting Line unpaired, an idea that Race producers claim fans have repeatedly suggested to them in the past. A challenge prior to the official start of the Race was used to determine a ranking of the 22 contestants. The highest-ranked unpaired contestant was then allowed to draft any remaining unpaired contestant as his or her teammate. The process continued until all eleven teams were determined. Selections were based solely on first impressions and the interactions contestants had with each other during the first challenge. Each team is listed with the unique hashtag the show's graphics use to identify them.
  1. ^Due to a storm at the site of the Detour, several teams still performing the Detour received time credit. Time credit given to Tara & Joey and Vanck & Ashton pushed London & Logan from 6th to 8th. This went unaired.
  2. Kevin & Jenn initially arrived 10th, but were issued a 2-hour penalty upon reaching the Pit Stop because they were unable to complete either Detour option before darkness made it too unsafe to continue. Liz & Michael checked in during their penalty time, dropping Kevin & Jenn to last place and resulting in their elimination.
  3. Becca & Floyd initially arrived 5th but because Floyd did not have his passport, they were not allowed to check in until they found it and brought it back to the pit stop. Three teams checked-in while they went back, dropping Becca & Floyd to 8th.
  4. Shamir & Sara were unable to complete the Roadblock due to darkness and closing of the shop. As a result, after all the other teams had already checked in at the Pit Stop, Phil went to the Roadblock location to inform them of their elimination.
  5. Becca & Floyd found the Express Pass on Leg 1 during the Starting Line task, and were allowed to use it until the end of Leg 5. They elected to go for the Fast Forward in that leg rather than use the Express Pass.
  6. Becca & Floyd used their U-Turn power on Liz & Michael; however, they had already passed the U-Turn point and were therefore unaffected by it.
  7. Becca & Floyd were issued a 10-minute penalty for speeding and elected to serve the penalty immediately. However, this did not affect their placement, and it was unaired.
  8. On the way to Đền Thái Vi, Floyd became dizzy due to fatigue from the Roadblock, and medics were called out. Long after all the other teams had already checked in at the Pit Stop, Phil came out to their location to inform them of their elimination.

    Episode title quotes

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.
  1. "We're Coming For You, Phil!" – Seth
  2. "Scared Spitless" – Liz
  3. " Type Stuff" – Logan
  4. "Another One Bites the Dust" – Liz
  5. "Have Faith in Me, " – Liz
  6. "Double U-Turn Ahead" – Phrase on Clue
  7. "Have Fun and Get It Done" – Tara
  8. "Good Job, Donkey" – Tara
  9. "I Thought We Were Playing It Nice" – London
  10. "Riding a Bike Is " – London
  11. "As Easy As Stacking Cups" – Redmond
  12. "We're Going To Victory Lane" – Race-car driver at Chicagoland Speedway

    Prizes

The prize for each leg was awarded to the first place team for that leg. Trips were provided by Travelocity. The prizes were:

Leg 1 (United States → Panama)

Airdate: March 30, 2017
The first Detour of the Race was a choice between Scoot or Shoot. Both options required teams to paddle a traditional Panamanian vessel called a cayuco. In Scoot, teams had to beat a pair of professional canoers in a regatta to receive their next clue. Teams that lost on the first attempt received a 50-meter head start for the second attempt, and teams that needed a third attempt were given a 100-meter head start. In Shoot, teams had to row to a marshy area where they must use a bow and arrow to shoot down two silver fishes hung on a cluster of bamboo poles to receive their next clue.
;Additional task
;Additional note
Airdate: April 6, 2017
This leg's Detour was a choice between Keep The Beat or Work Your Feet. In Keep The Beat, teams traveled to Rua General Osório to perform a musical routine with a samba group. Each team member had to learn a different instrument: either the surdo drum or the chocalho jingle stick. When the band leader was satisfied with their performance, they would get their next clue. In Work Your Feet, teams made their way to a stretch of Rua Palmorino Mônaco beneath an overpass where they had to assemble makeshift workout equipment using rudimentary supplies including a tire, a refrigerator, weight racks, metal cans, and a barrel, which needed a specified volume of water. When the judge, a professional boxer, approved their installations, he would give them their next clue.
In the first Roadblock of the Race, one team member had to rappel down the façade of Instituto Cervantes São Paulo where they had to wash a marked window. Once the window was spotless, a person inside the room would give them their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: April 13, 2017
This leg's Detour was a choice between Build It or Weave It. For both Detour options, teams had to travel across the bay on a dhow. In Build It, teams had to build wooden desks in an outdoor workshop. Once the desk was built to the carpenter's standards, they had to deliver it to a nearby school where they would then learn Swahili greetings from the teacher. After teams recited four phrases with proper enunciation, they would receive their next clue. In Weave It, teams had to observe a climber harvest coconut leaves from a tall palm tree. Then, they had to use the leaves to weave a basket based on a demonstration to earn their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock at Darajani Market, one team member received a shopping list of eighteen local food items with some of the items written in Swahili. Using their own money, they had to purchase all of the items and give the ingredients to the family chef outside of the market to receive their next clue.
;Additional task
Airdate: April 20, 2017
The Detour of this leg was a choice between Lock and Knock. In Lock, teams had to go to Al-Tamimi Curio Shop and look through artisanal wooden chests, each one carved with a secret compartment into the main drawer, for a key with an attached piece of paper showing a symbol. Once teams found the key, they had to find a cabinet with the same symbol and unlock it to release their next clue. In Knock, teams had to travel through the streets of Stone Town to locate three royal doors, which were distinguished by a carving of a lion, serpent and falcon on top, and knock on each of them to receive a wooden carving. After collecting all three carvings, teams then had to deliver them to a marked shop on Gizenga Street to receive their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to make a ladle strainer out of sheet metal. First, they had to cut a circular piece of sheet aluminum to make a spoon. After that, they had to punch the center piece to make holes for the strainer. Then, they had to pound the metal into a perfect circle and attach a long piece of metal to create the handle. Once their ladle was correctly assembled, the supervisor would hand them their next clue.
;Additional task
Airdate: April 20, 2017
In the only Fast Forward of the Race, one team had to board a helicopter from an adjacent field at Høgsteinen Fyr Lighthouse and would fly to Geirangerfjord, where they would soon discover they had to skydive from a height of. After landing back at the lighthouse, they would win the Fast Forward award.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to climb the side of a 13-storey tower made out of 31,000 wooden pallets, then nail down one pallet at the top of the stack to help create the world's tallest hand stacked bonfire festival called Slinningsbålet. Once completed, they would receive their next clue and climb back down.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Trolls or Troll. In Trolls, teams had to go to Kulturhus in Downtown Ålesund where an actress gave them a scroll containing a poem and a map of downtown highlighting six images of sculptures. Using the map, they had to locate each building with the corresponding sculpture. At each location, they must recite the poem at the doorway, where a troll impersonator would give them a gigantic fake firework. Once they returned to Kulturhus with all six fireworks, the actress gave them a scroll with the name of the next Pit Stop. In Troll, teams had to travel to Kayak More Tomorrow and paddle a kayak along Brosundet Canal to search among fishing lures for one imprinted with the name of the next Pit Stop.
;Additional task
Airdate: April 27, 2017
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to ride Tram Ristorante ATMosfera, a dining tram which tours Downtown Milan, to find three marked words along the ride: Cernobbio, Concordia, and Lago. However, only four team members could ride the tram at one time. During the ride, they received a plate of gnocchi and parmigiana melanzane, which they had to finish, in order to complete the ride. At the end of the ride, they recited the three correct words to the tram conductor to receive their next clue. If they failed to say all three words, they had to perform the task again.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Make a Mold and Grab a Hold. In Make a Mold, teams had to travel to Castello di Vezio and assemble a ghost figure by using a teammate as a wire mesh mold for plaster mold casting. After the plaster solidified to create the figure, they would be given the next clue. In Grab a Hold, teams had to travel by Riva Aquarama to the village of Menaggio and find L'Angolo Benedetto Castelli, where one team member would climb up the face of a rock to retrieve their next clue, while their partner belayed the line from the bottom.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: May 4, 2017
This leg's Detour was a choice between Sing It and Bring It. In Sing It, teams had to practice a traditional Italian serenade for gondoliers and then dressed as ones to perform the song on board a gondola tour along the Grand Canal. If the mandolin player was satisfied with their singing, he would give teams their next clue. In Bring It, teams had to work as porters and pick up a dolly of suitcases to deliver to the name of the hotel on their suitcases' tag, carrying them through the stairs and narrow alleys of Venice. Once all the suitcases were delivered to the hotel's porter, teams would receive their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to choose an actor from a Venetian masquerade performance, Commedia dell'arte, and paint an exact copy of their mask to the satisfaction of the artist to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: May 11, 2017
This leg's Detour was a choice between For the Bride or For the Groom. In For the Bride, teams had to transport two containers of milk on a donkey through the streets of Arachova to find local cheese makers and exchange each container for a piece of cheese. Both cheese pieces then had to be delivered to the bride. In For the Groom, teams had to compete in a footrace with locals up the 252 steps of Egarsios leading to the Church of Saint George, where they had to find a shepherd who would give them a pair of animals to deliver to the groom. After executing the Detour, teams received a plate, which they had to break open to get their next clue.
For their Speed Bump, Liz & Michael traveled on foot to the nearby Kantina food truck to prepare a traditional skewered dish called kokoretsi by wrapping sections of meat with intestines before they could continue racing.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to learn how to perform the changing of the guard routine of the Greek Presidential Guards, known as Evzones, that takes place outside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After learning the routine, they had to perform it inside the Zappeion hall in sync with an Evzone and to the satisfaction of a command instructor to receive their next clue.
;Additional task
Airdate: May 18, 2017
The leg's Roadblock was a Switchback from Season 9. One team member had to bungee jump off a bridge into the Corinth Canal to receive their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Bamboo Climb or Window Design. In Bamboo Climb, teams had to transport a marked 15-foot ladder made of bamboo through the busy streets to an apartment building, and get it up a narrow stairwell. On the roof, they had to use the ladder to retrieve a birdcage, and then return both the cage and the ladder to the starting point to receive their next clue. In Window Design, teams had to carry three mannequins—a man, woman, and child—through the streets to a clothing shop, and dress and arrange them in the window, using a photo for reference. Once the judge approved their window display, they would receive their next clue.
;Additional task
;Additional note
Airdate: May 18, 2017
For their Speed Bump, Tara & Joey had to collect 72 duck eggs from around a pond before they could continue racing.
This leg's Roadblock was a Switchback from Season 3. One team member had to load a bicycle with a correct number of large and small shrimp traps, that matched an example bicycle, and deliver them to a fisherman down the road to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: May 25, 2017
In the leg's first Roadblock, the selected teammate had to take part in sport stacking by quickly arranging cups into three specified formations within seven seconds to receive their next clue.
In the leg's second Roadblock, the teammate who did not perform the first Roadblock had to play the video game Street Fighter V against a professional video game player. The racers underwent a coaching session before facing off against the professional players, which included Seon-woo "Infiltration" Lee and Lee Chung "Poongko" Gon, and had to defeat the professional gamer in one round of the game in order to receive their next clue. Every 10 rounds, the professional gamer would receive a disadvantage. After 10 rounds, they would play with one hand. After 20 rounds, they would play blindfolded. After 30 rounds, they would play blindfolded and with one hand.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: June 1, 2017
;Additional tasks
;Additional note

U.S. Nielsen ratings

Canadian ratings

Canadian broadcaster CTV also aired The Amazing Race on Thursdays.
Canadian DVR ratings are included in Numeris's count.
No.Air dateEpisodeViewers
Rank
Ref
1"We're Coming For You, Phil!"1.38313
2"Scared Spitless"1.25717
3"Bucket List Type Stuff"1.28611
4"Another One Bites The Dust"1.33110
5"Have Faith in Me, Broski"1.33110
6"Double U-Turn Ahead"1.31711
7"Have Fun and Get It Done"1.4459
8"Good Job, Donkey"1.37317
9"I Thought We Were Playing It Nice"1.3379
10"Riding a Bike Is Like Riding a Bike"1.3379
11"As Easy As Stacking Cups"1.1458
12"We're Going To Victory Lane"1.4734