The Amazing Race 2 (China)


The Amazing Race 2 is the second installment of the Chinese reality television series The Amazing Race. Loosely based on the American reality TV series The Amazing Race, it initially features six teams of two in a race around the world.
Infiniti was still the main sponsor for this event after sponsoring Season 1.
The season premiere was aired on July 10, 2015 and concluded on September 25, 2015. Friends Han Geng and Wu Xin were the winners of the season of the Race.

Production

Development and filming

Filming begin June 2, 2015 at Sydney and ended on August 16, 2015 at Chengdu, Sichuan. Unlike the American version and most other versions that always start and end in the same country, this was the first season where both the Starting Line and Finish Line were held in different nations, and also the first season overall in the entire franchise the Starting Line was not held in the show's home country.
This season introduced two new twists. Invasion was a new twist that allowed several teams to join in the game as intruders. The intruders entered the Race at the start of a given leg. In their invasion leg, the intruders had to finish in a given position in order to continue racing. If they failed their invasion, they would be eliminated from the Race as if they had finished last. If they succeeded, the intruders would keep on racing in future legs.
This season also introduced the Intersection with Integration Versus, which was a combination of Intersection and Versus for some tasks. At the start of the leg, the four remaining teams had to choose which team they want to be Intersected by voting. Once two teams chose each other at the same time, they would be Intersected. Then, the pairs of teams would complete in either head-to-head or timed task. The team that won the task would earn two points. After five rounds, the teams with the most points would automatically finish in first place. The second pair would compete in a final task, and the winning team would keep racing while the losing team was eliminated.

Cast

Similar to the first season, this season featured celebrities who were chosen to race on the show. Notable casting members including singers Deng Ziqi and Super Idol winner Zhang Yunjing, the Chopstick Brothers notable for the viral video "Little Apple", as well as the 2012 Olympics gymnast Feng Zhe.

Marketing

The show was sponsored by Infiniti, Sohu, Pepsi and RRS.com. Eastroc Super Drink returned to sponsor, and teams could still pick up their drinks as energy supplements during the legs.

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. Zeng Zhiwei chose to forfeit the Roadblock at Leg 1 and he & Zeng Baoyi were issued a 1-hour penalty at the Roadblock site.
  2. Deng Ziqi & Zhang Yunjing elected to quit the Detour challenge and were issued a 1-hour penalty at the Pit Stop.
  3. Xiao Yang chose to forfeit the Roadblock at Leg 3 and he & Wang Taili were issued a 1-hour penalty at the Roadblock site.
  4. Han Geng & Wu Xin and Xiao Yang & Wang Taili were each issued 15-minute penalties before starting the Detour because they both received money from locals earlier in the leg, which was prohibited per the rules for Leg 3.
  5. Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao used their Express Pass to bypass the Detour on Leg 4.
  6. Zeng Zhiwei & Zeng Baoyi were subject to various placement changes on Leg 4:
  7. *They were forced to quit the versus because of an injury Zeng Zhiwei sustained during the double-battle. They were issued a 15-minute penalty which started after the last team of the double-battle had served their 15-minute penalty.
  8. *They used the Express Pass given to them by Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao to bypass the underground city task on Leg 4.
  9. *They initially arrived at the Pit Stop 2nd, but were issued a 1-hour penalty for not completing the last task on Leg 3 after checking in which involved finding a local's house and spending the night there. All other teams trailing them checked-in during their penalty time, dropping Zeng Zhiwei & Zeng Baoyi to last place and resulting in their elimination.
  10. Yang Qianhua & Ding Zigao chose to quit the Detour challenge and they were issued a 1-hour penalty before they could continue racing.
  11. Due to modification to the "Intruders" rule on Leg 9, Jin Zhongguo & Li Guangzhu were required to win this leg in order to continue racing. They placed 2nd in this leg, resulting in their elimination. The placement at the end of the leg did not affect the other two teams.
  12. Han Geng & Wu Xin were issued a time penalty as they had failed to deliver a chicken to Allan. They arrived at the Pit Stop last, but they were not issued a penalty. They were also notified that Jin Zhongguo & Li Guangzhu failed their Invaders mission, and they were safe from elimination.

    Voting History

Similar to the Israeli, Australian and Philippine versions, teams on the second leg voted for who should receive the U-Turn. The team with the most votes had to complete the other Detour option they did not select.
Leg #:2
U-Turned:Feng Zhe & Zhu Zhu
3-2-1
VoterTeam's Vote
Yang Qianhua & Ding ZigaoFeng Zhe & Zhu Zhu
Xiao Yang & Wang TailiFeng Zhe & Zhu Zhu
Zeng Zhiwei & Zeng BaoyiFeng Zhe & Zhu Zhu
Feng Zhe & Zhu ZhuYang Qianhua & Ding Zigao
Han Geng & Wu XinYang Qianhua & Ding Zigao
Deng Ziqi & Zhang YunjingXiao Yang & Wang Taili

Prizes

The prize for each leg is awarded to the first place team for that leg. In most legs, the winners of the leg were also given Infiniti Fund of to donate to their charity of choice. Additional prizes were awarded as follows:
  1. An item that can be used on the Race to skip any one task of the team's choosing. The winning team keeps one for themselves but must relinquish the second to another team before the end of the sixth leg of the race.
  2. Two teams arrived in first place, due to the leg modification with "Intersection with Integration Versus". However, both teams were each given the same prizes.

    Race summary

Leg 1 (Australia)

Airdate: July 10, 2015
The first Detour of the Race was a choice between Slippery or Soft. For both options, teams were instructed to travel to Centennial Parklands. In Slippery, one team member would put on a helmet along with a slipping suit and a watermelon track shoes. The other team member had to lug the rope. If the team successfully "surfed", the team would be given the next clue. In Soft, teams had to catch three sheep while blindfolded and was wearing cowboy hats. Teams would have to calm the sheep for three seconds to receive the next clue.
The first Roadblock for the race had one team member to wear a diving suit and enter the cage which would dive down into the sea. They would have to unravel five ropes in the cage to allow the key to drop. They then had to retrieve the key to open the cage to complete the task and receive their next clue from the diver.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: July 17, 2015
The Detour was a choice between or Lance. In Fish, teams had to get flint from the locals start a fire to cook a fish to receive their next clue from the Tribe Master. In Lance, teams had to take turns to throw 10 lances into the target boards, five for each team. The board nearest to the teams was worth one point, the furthest are worth six point, and the target between these two worth three points. Once teams scored six points, they would receive their next clue. If teams used up all their lances, they would serve a three-minute penalty before they could continue with the task, but the points earned would not reset.
For the Roadblock, teams made their way to the AJ Hackett Cairns Bungy drew lots to determine which jump style the chose team member had to perform. The Double Bungee Jump required both team members to jump together. The Superman Jump required the team member to jump while wearing a superman suit. Once they performed the jump, they could get their next clue.
For the Speed Bump, Deng Ziqi & Zhang Yunjing had to make their way to Cairns Zoom. There, both team members had to step on to a cable and walk to the other end with meat attached to both team members' feet, which the crocodiles [|below] might eat, before they could drive to Cazaly's Stadium and check-in at the Pit Stop.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: July 24, 2015
The Detour for this leg had teams making their way to İstiklal Avenue before performing a choice between Crafts or Arts. In Crafts, teams had to polish leather shoes, with each pair of shoes polished for 4 Turkish lira. Once teams earned ₺40, they could receive their next clue. In Arts, teams had to choose one piece of equipment for the task: Chinese dancing clothes and pieces of cloth, a guitar, clown clothes and twisting balloons, a sword and a Bağlama. Teams then had to perform in the streets to earn ₺40 using one of these five sets of items to receive their next clue. The ₺40 earned for this side of Detour have to be in coinage.
The Roadblock for this leg had a team member to climb up a ladder to the top and sound the gong within five minutes, while the other team member was rappelled down to a tub of dirty water below and endure for five minutes. If teams were unable to finish the task, they incur a 15-minute penalty.
;Additional tasks
;Additional note
Airdate: July 31, 2015
The Detour for this leg was a choice between Horse or Salt. In both Detour choices, teams would drive their Infiniti to the respective locations. In Horse, teams would take part in Turkish archery. They would then select three arrows and a horse, then have to strike their arrows and hit the bull’s eye target while mounted on a horse to receive their next clue. In Salt, teams would have to carry bags of salt and have to dump the contents to the pool until its density achieves neutral buoyancy. Teams would have to be floated in the pool, and they read a newspaper article regarding the teams on the race. If teams can accomplish this, they receive their next clue.
For the first Versus of the Race, teams competed in Turkish oil wrestling. Teams had to strip down to pants, don a belt to indicate the team color, and then oil their bodies before facing off to take the other team's belts. The first team to take both belts from the other team would receive their next clue. The losing team had to wait for the next team, and the last losing team would serve a 15-minute penalty before they could continue racing.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: August 7, 2015
For the Versus, teams would choose from one of five items which would be used in the Versus, namely a lance, a tennis racket, a pillow, a Chinese fan, or a pork leg, with the order of choice determined through the placements from the previous leg. Teams would battle head-to-head against the other team of a lower placement by knocking the other team out of the balance beam to receive their next clue. The losing team had to redo the battle against the next team, and the last team had to wait out five-minutes before they were given their next clue.
The Detour was a choice between Rampage or Descent. In Rampage, teams must make their way to Plaza de Toros to take part in Spanish Bullfighting. One team member had to build a gate using the pieces given, while the other would be a bullfighter and stop the bull. If the bull was able to get past the gate without damaging it, and perform the task properly, a torero would give the teams their next clue. In Descent, teams would make their way to the Aranjuez Constitution Square. There, each team member had to inflate a Bubble bump football and had to stick one of the four coloured stickers placed around the plaza as well as colliding to the locals. Once each team member stuck all four coloured stickers, they would receive their next clue. If they were unable to complete the task within five minutes, they could restart the task again with the field reset but the stickers collected would carry over.
For this leg's Roadblock, teams took part in La Tomatina. The team member performing the Roadblock had to stand on the performer zone and would be routinely doused with tomato juice on their head. Their partner had throw a tomato through the mouth of the board while being pelted by locals to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: August 14, 2015
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to cross through a field of lasers without touching a beam to get their next clue.
For their Speed Bump, Deng Ziqi & Zhang Yunjing had to get a picnic box, ride a bike to the marked area, and finish all the food inside the picnic box by feeding each other before they could proceed to the swinging task.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: August 21, 2015
;Additional tasks
Airdate: August 28, 2015
For the first Versus of this leg, the Intersected teams competed in kicking the coconut the racers while walking on a pair of stilts across a stretch of beach. Racers underwent an eight-minute coaching session before facing off against the other Intersected team. Teams had to kick the coconuts in stilts to a marked line in a five-minute match to score one match point. The first Intersected team to score two match points would win.
The second Versus had each Intersected team assign one member to command the team while caged. The other three members, blindfolded and tied together, must navigate through a mud run obstacle course, while grabbing three numbered puzzle pieces in each obstacle. Afterwards, they have to make their way to the slide and arrange the numbered puzzle pieces to allow the toy car to move up. The team member in the cage would then retrieve the key from the toy car and unlock the cage to complete the task. The Intersected team who unlocked the cage in the fastest time would win.
The third Versus had each Intersected team assign one member to retrieve three keys and jump through from height of from cliff down to the sea after being geared by the helicopter. Then, the team member had to release from the safety harness and swim across one of three boats and unlock the padlock to free the other team member. The team member then had to swim to the other boats for the two other members. The Intersected team who freed the teams in the fastest time would win.
After completing the previous Versus, the fourth Versus had each pair of Intersected team assign one team to compete in either one of the two upcoming Versus. For the leg's fourth Versus, one team member had to scale six poles to retrieve five pieces of clothing. The team member would then have to wear the clothing while on top, and must do the same for the other four pieces. The team member who wore all five pieces of clothing and strike the gong first would win. If their piece of clothing was dropped, they must descend down to the ground and retrieve the piece of clothing before they could continue with the task.
The fifth Versus had to be performed by the team who did not do the previous Versus. For this task, one team member had to arrange a series of gears of different sizes into a larger gear which would trigger a mechanism to raise the flag. Each gear has a peg that have to be fitted in the holes, which are arranged in different places across the board. The first team to complete the board and raise the flag would win.
For the final Versus of the Race, one team member would be secured to a large wheel of death. Before the task, the person would answer five questions relating to their opinion of the four teams on the race:
Their answers determined a five-digit code which would stop the wheel from spinning. The other team member had to guess his or her teammate's answers, by rotating the rotary discs to the corresponding numbers to stop the wheel. The first team to guess correctly and stop the wheel would win.
;Additional notes
Airdate: September 11, 2015
For this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to stack up 36 fruit crates and retrieve the clue attached from above, while their partner could assist through stacking the crates from the ground.
;Additional tasks
Airdate: September 25, 2015
For the final Roadblock of the race, one team member had to slide along a thin plastic film sheet suspended in mid-air from one end to the other to get their next clue. Should any point the film break before reaching the other end, they have to start over.
;Additional tasks