Leg 1 (United States → Brazil) during this first leg of the race in
Salvador, Brazil. • Episode 1: "Bees Are Much Calmer Than All This!" (September 28, 2008) • Prize: A trip for two to
Belize (awarded to Nick & Starr) • Eliminated: Anita & Arthur ;Locations •
Los Angeles,
California (
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) (Starting Line) • Los Angeles (
Los Angeles International Airport) →
Salvador, Brazil • Salvador (O Rei do Pernil) • Salvador (Praça da Sé) • Salvador (
19th Batalhão de Caçadores Military Base) • Salvador (
Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco) • Salvador (
Escadaria do Passo Elevador Lacerda) • Salvador (
Forte de São Marcelo) ;Episode summary • Teams set off from the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and drove to
Los Angeles International Airport, where they had to book one of two flights to
Salvador, Brazil. The first six teams departed on the first flight via
American Airlines, while the remaining five teams departed three hours later on the second flight via
United Airlines. However, the first flight ended up being delayed an hour and a half during its connection in
Rio de Janeiro. Once there, teams had to go to a sandwich shop, choose a traditional vending cart, take it to the Praça da Sé, and deliver it to a man named Indio in order to receive their next clue. • Teams had to travel to the
19th Batalhão de Caçadores Military Base, where they had to sign up for one of three departure times the next morning, and then spent the night under a mosquito net. The next morning, teams had to travel to the
Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco, where they found their next clue. • This season's first Detour was a choice between Hard Way Up or Soft Way Down. In Hard Way Up, teams climbed the
Escadaria do Passo on their hands and knees. At the top, teams were asked how many stairs they'd climbed. If they gave the correct answer, they received their next clue; if they were wrong, they had to climb the staircase and try again. In Soft Way Down, teams had to go to the top of the
Elevador Lacerda, an outdoor elevator, and climb down a
cargo net in order to receive their next clue. • After the Detour, teams had to travel by ferry to the Pit Stop: the
Forte de São Marcelo.
Leg 2 (Brazil) ''. • Episode 2: "Do You Like American Candy?" (October 5, 2008) • Prize: An
off-road vehicle for each team member (awarded to Ken & Tina) • Eliminated: Anthony & Stephanie ;Locations •
Salvador (
Port of Salvador) • Salvador →
Fortaleza •
Caucaia (
Cumbuco – Praia de Cumbuco) • Caucaia (Cauípe – Barraca do Manoel) •
São Gonçalo do Amarante (Pecém Beach
Port of Pecem) • Caucaia (Parque de
Vaquejada) • Fortaleza (Cidade da Criança) ;Episode summary • At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to
Fortaleza. Once there, teams had to travel to Praia de Cumbuco, where they had to ride a
dune buggy along the beach to Barraca do Manoel in order to receive their next clue. • This leg's Detour was a choice between Beach It or Docket. In Beach It, teams had to travel to Pecém Beach and move a traditional Brazilian sailboat known as a
jangada to an inlet in order to receive their next clue. In Docket, teams had to travel to the nearby
Port of Pecem and search a computer database for the specific
ID number of the
shipping container that held their next clue. • After the Detour, teams had to travel to the Parque de
Vaquejada in order to find their next clue. • In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to locate the name of their next Pit Stop (
Cidade da Criança), which was hidden amongst several advertisements painted along a wall, in order to receive their next clue.
Leg 3 (Brazil → Bolivia) at the Mirador el Monticulo, which overlooks the mountainous city of
La Paz. • Episode 3: "Did You Push My Sports Bra Off the Ledge?" (October 12, 2008) • Prize: A trip for two to
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (awarded to Ken & Tina) • Eliminated: Mark & Bill ;Locations • Fortaleza (
Praia de Iracema – Estátua de Iracema e Martim) • Fortaleza →
La Paz, Bolivia • La Paz (Plaza Venezuela –
Simón Bolívar Statue) • La Paz (
Plaza Murillo – Narvaez Hat and Shoe Store) • La Paz (Plaza del Estudiante, Plaza Bolivia & Plaza Isabel La Católica
Mercado de las Brujas) • La Paz (
Plaza Abaroa) •
El Alto (El Multifuncional) • La Paz (
Sopocachi – Mirador el Monticulo) ;Episode summary • At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to
La Paz, Bolivia. Once there, teams had to go to the statue of
Simón Bolívar, where they spent the night. The next morning, teams had to search the classified ads of a newspaper for their next clue, which directed teams to the Narvaez Hat Shop in
Plaza Murillo. There, teams had to buy a traditional
bowler hat called a
bombin, which they had to keep for the remainder of the leg, in order to receive their next clue. • This leg's Detour was a choice between Musical March or Bumpy Ride. In Musical March, teams had to travel on foot to three plazas several blocks apart and gather the members of a marching band. After leading the band to
Plaza Abaroa, teams received their next clue. In Bumpy Ride, teams had to travel on foot to
Mercado de las Brujas, where they had to ride a traditional wooden bicycle down the steep cobblestone streets to
Plaza Abaroa in order to receive their next clue. • After the Detour, teams had to travel to El Multifuncional in
El Alto in order to find their next clue. • In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to learn six wrestling moves from
luchadoras called the
Fighting Cholitas and successfully perform the moves in the ring in order to receive their next clue directing them to the Pit Stop: Mirador el Monticulo.
Leg 4 (Bolivia → New Zealand) , racers participated in a Roadblock at
Mount Eden by searching among dancing
Māori warriors for one with a specific
tā moko facial tattoo. • Episode 4: "I Wonder If They Like Blondes in New Zealand?" (October 19, 2008) • Prize: A trip for two to
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (awarded to Ken & Tina) • Eliminated: Marisa & Brooke ;Locations •
La Paz (
Sopocachi – Mirador el Monticulo) • La Paz →
Auckland, New Zealand •
Whangaparaoa (
Gulf Harbour) • Auckland (
Sky Tower) • Auckland (
Mount Eden) • Auckland (CityLife Hotel) •
Te Puke (Kiwi 360) • Te Puke (Kiwi Orchard)
Tauranga (Blokart Heaven) • Tauranga (Summerhill Recreational Farm) ;Episode summary • At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to
Auckland, New Zealand. Once there, teams had to drive to
Gulf Harbour and untie a large
Gordian knot in order to retrieve a clue from inside. • This season's first Fast Forward required one team to climb the mast of the
Sky Tower in Auckland and retrieve a
Travelocity Roaming Gnome from the top. Ken & Tina won the Fast Forward and received a helicopter ride to the Pit Stop. • Teams who did not attempt the Fast Forward had to drive to the top of
Mount Eden in order to find their next clue. • In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search among
Māori warriors who were performing a
haka dance for the one whose
tā moko face tattoo matched a selected pattern in order to receive their next clue. If racers chose the wrong warrior, the warrior took the image away and they had to start over with a new pattern. • After the Roadblock, teams had to drive to the CityLife Hotel and found their next clue on the roof instructing them to use binoculars to spot one of eight Travelocity Roaming Gnomes hidden around downtown Auckland. They then had to retrieve one gnome and found their next clue on the bottom of its base, which directed teams to Kiwi 360 in
Te Puke. Teams had to keep the gnome with them for the rest of the leg. • This leg's Detour was a choice between Matter of Time or Matter of Skill. In Matter of Time, teams had to drive to a
kiwi orchard. There, teams had to use their feet to crush a vat of kiwis and produce of juice. Then, both team member had to drink a glass of juice in order to receive their next clue. In Matter of Skill, teams had to drive to Blokart Heaven. There, teams had to assemble two
Blokarts, and each team member had to complete three laps around a track in order to receive their next clue. • After the Detour, teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: Summerhill Recreational Farm in Tauranga. ;Additional note • John Keoghan, father of host
Phil Keoghan, appeared as the Pit Stop greeter in this leg.
Leg 5 (New Zealand → Cambodia) temple in
Siem Reap, racers searched for a chamber inside that produced a specific echo. • Episode 5: "Do It Like a Madman" (October 26, 2008) • Prize: A trip for two to
Saint John (awarded to Nick & Starr) • Eliminated: Aja & Ty ;Locations • Tauranga (Summerhill Recreational Farm) • Auckland →
Siem Reap, Cambodia • Siem Reap (Phlau Ben Lane –
Gas Station) • Siem Reap (Siem Reap Harbor) →
Tonlé Sap (Kho Andeth) • Siem Reap (
Angkor Wat) • Siem Reap (
Bayon Temple) ;Episode summary • At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to
Siem Reap, Cambodia. Once there, teams traveled to Phlau Ben Lane and found a roadside gas station, where they had to fill a truck with of diesel fuel. They then drove the truck to Siem Reap Harbor, where they rode a boat to the floating Kho Andeth restaurant in order to retrieve their next clue. • This leg's Detour was a choice between Village Life or Village Work. In Village Life, teams had to retrieve a set of toy teeth from a dentist, a doll from a tailor, and a basketball from a floating basketball court. Each team member had to score a basket before returning all the items they'd collected to the Siem Reap Harbor, where they received their next clue. In Village Work, teams had to go to
Tonlé Sap, retrieve two full baskets of fish from the water, and then return them to the Siem Reap Harbor in order to receive their next clue. • After the Detour, teams had to travel to
Angkor Wat in order to find their next clue. • In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search Angkor Wat for an echo chamber within a room called "Prassat Kok Troung". Once there, they had to stand in a specific spot and thump their chest so as to make an echo sound in the room. They could then pick up a stone
frieze, which displayed their next clue on the reverse directing them to the Pit Stop: the
Bayon Temple.
Leg 6 (Cambodia → India) , one team member had to paint an auto rickshaw green. • Episode 6: "Please Hold While I Singe My Skull" (November 2, 2008) • Prize: An
electric car for each team member (awarded to Nick & Starr) ;Locations •
Siem Reap (
Bayon Temple) • Siem Reap →
Delhi, India • Delhi (Moonlight Motors) • Delhi (Ambassador Hotel) • Delhi (Prakash Banquet Hall Dhobi Ghat) • Delhi (
Baháʼí House) ;Episode summary • At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to
Delhi, India. Once there, teams had to travel to Moonlight Motors in order to find their next clue. • In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had cover all of the glass and wheels of an
auto rickshaw with newspaper and then spray-paint the black portions with green paint, indicating that the rickshaw had switched to using natural gas as fuel, in order to receive their next clue. • After the Roadblock, teams had to travel to the Ambassador Hotel and search the garden for a doorman, who had their next clue. • This leg's Detour was a choice between Launder Money or Launder Clothes. In Launder Money, teams had to make a traditional Indian wedding necklace by stapling enough 10
Indian rupee banknotes to the necklace so that they added up to 780. They then had to find the newlywed couple in the crowded banquet hall and present them with the necklace in order to receive their next clue. In Launder Clothes, teams had to use a traditional charcoal iron to press twenty pieces of clothing in order to receive their next clue. • After the Detour, teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: the
Baháʼí House. ;Additional note • This was a non-elimination leg.
Leg 7 (India) at the historic
Humayun's Tomb, which served as the Pit Stop for this leg. • Episode 7: "My Nose Is on Fire" (November 9, 2008) • Prize: A trip for two to
Kauai, Hawaii (awarded to Nick & Starr) • Eliminated: Kelly & Christy ;Locations •
Delhi (
Baháʼí House) • Delhi (
Kalkaji – Deshbandhu Apartments) • Delhi (
Jain Mandir – Charity Birds Hospital) • Delhi (
Chandni Chowk –
Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib) • Delhi (
Nai Sarak Street Ram Bhandar & Shwan Kumar and Sons) • Delhi (
Humayun's Tomb –
Isa Khan's Tomb) ;Episode summary • At the start of this leg, teams had to travel to the Deshbandhu Apartments in
Kalkaji in order to find their next clue. • In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to climb one of three ladders to find a suspended envelope imprinted with
The Amazing Race, among several others that said
Try Again, amid celebrators of
Holi, the Festival of Colours, who were bombarding them with colored dyes and water. • After the Roadblock, teams had to travel to the Charity Birds Hospital at
Jain Mandir, where they had to search the birdcages for their next clue. • For their Speed Bump, Ken & Tina had to serve
holy water to hundreds of
Sikhs at the
Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib before they could continue racing. • This leg's Detour was a choice between Bleary Eyed or Teary Eyed. In Bleary Eyed, teams had to follow a series of power lines on
Nai Sarak Street, keeping track of the numbered tags. They then had to report these numbers to a power company official and if they were correct, they could plug in a musical
Ganesh statue in order to receive their next clue. In Teary Eyed, teams had to search a spice market for Ram Bhandar, where teams were given two bags of
chili peppers that they had to transport to Shwan Kumar and Sons and then grind into
chili powder in order to receive their next clue. • After the Detour, teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: the
Tomb of Isa Khan.
Leg 8 (India → Kazakhstan) Arch, teams received their next clue from a
trained golden eagle. • Episode 8: "I'm Like an Angry Cow" (November 16, 2008) • Prize: A
WaveRunner for each team member (awarded to Nick & Starr) • Eliminated: Terence & Sarah ;Locations •
Delhi (
Humayun's Tomb –
Isa Khan's Tomb) • Delhi →
Almaty, Kazakhstan •
Boralday (Alel Agro Chicken Factory) • Almaty (Alasha Restaurant) • Almaty (
Kok Tobe Arch) • Almaty (Almaty State Puppet Theater &
Zelyoniy Bazaar) • Almaty (
Old Square) ;Episode summary • At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to
Almaty, Kazakhstan. Once there, teams had to travel to the Alel Agro Chicken Factory in
Boralday in order to find their next clue. • In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search among 30,000 chickens for one of seven golden eggs, which they could trade for their next clue. • In this season's second Fast Forward, teams had to join a traditional Kazakh feast at the Alasha Restaurant, where each team member had to eat a serving of sheep fat known as
kurdyuk. Nick & Starr won the Fast Forward. • After the Roadblock, teams had to search for a giant crane truck and travel to
Kok Tobe Arch. There, at the foothills of the
Tien Shan Mountains, teams followed a marked path to a
Mongol warrior, who used a
trained golden eagle to deliver them their next clue. • This leg's Detour was a choice between Play Like Mad or Act Like Fools. In Play Like Mad, teams would have traveled to the
Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments, where they would have learned to play a traditional folk tune on the
dombra and the
shang-kobuz. They then would have had to go to a nearby park and perform for locals so as to earn enough tips in order to receive their next clue. In Act Like Fools, teams traveled to the Almaty State Puppet Theater, where they had to put on a two-person cow costume and travel across town to a milk stand to drink a glass of milk. At the bottom of the glass was the name of their next destination – the
Zelyoniy Bazaar – where they had to find the meat section in order to receive their next clue. All teams (except for Nick & Starr, who won the Fast Forward) chose Act Like Fools. • After the Detour, teams had to travel on foot to the Pit Stop at the
Old Square, bringing the cow costume with them.
Leg 9 (Kazakhstan → Russia) , teams visited the Dormition Cathedral in
Krutitsy, where they paid their respects in an
Eastern Orthodox candle-lighting ceremony. • Episode 9: "That Is Studly" (November 23, 2008) • Prize: A trip for two to
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (awarded to Toni & Dallas) ;Locations •
Almaty (
Old Square) • Almaty →
Moscow, Russia • Moscow (
Krutitsy – Dormition Cathedral) • Tatarintsevo (Kolosok Camp) •
Zhukovsky (Zhukovsky Bakery) • Moscow (
Neskuchny Sad Park) ;Episode summary • At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to
Moscow, Russia. Once there, teams had to travel to the Dormition Cathedral in
Krutitsy, where they took part in an
Eastern Orthodox candle-lighting ceremony. All women were required to don
headscarves prior to entering the monastery per religious custom. Teams then received their next clue directing them to the Kolosok Camp in Tatarintsevo. • This leg's Detour was a choice between Boots or Borscht. For both Detour options, teams had to dress in a Russian military uniform. In Boots, teams had to learn a Russian parade march and then perform one full lap with a drill team to the drill master's standard in order to receive their next clue. In Borscht, teams had to travel to a nearby tent and serve 75 soldiers a bowl of
borscht in order to receive their next clue. • After the Detour, teams had to travel to the Zhukovsky Bakery in order to receive their next clue. • In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to unload fifty bags of flour from a truck and properly deliver them to the bakery in order to receive their next clue directing them to the Pit Stop:
Neskuchny Sad Park. ;Additional note • This was a non-elimination leg.
Leg 10 (Russia) in front of
VDNKh Park's Central Pavilion, which overlooks Propylaea: the central gate entrance. • Episode 10: "You're Gonna Get Me Killed" (November 30, 2008) • Prize: A trip for two to
Anguilla (awarded to Nick & Starr) • Eliminated: Toni & Dallas ;Locations •
Moscow (
Neskuchny Sad Park) • Moscow (
Severnoye Tushino Park – Submarine
Komsomolets of Novosibirsk) • Moscow (
Fallen Monument Park, Bukinist Book Store &
Bulgakov House) • Moscow (
Sokolniki Park) • Moscow ( Multiple locations
(see below) →
VDNKh Metro Station) • Moscow (
VDNKh Park) ;Episode summary • At the start of this leg, teams traveled to
Severnoye Tushino Park, where they had to search the
Komsomolets of Novosibirsk submarine and find the
Sonar room. Among the crew members, teams had to find an actor who had appeared in the film
The Hunt for Red October, who gave them their next clue directing them to the
Fallen Monument Park. • In this season's final Roadblock, one team member had to count the number of statues of
Vladimir Lenin and
Joseph Stalin in the park, and then proceed to an antique bookshop on
Arbat Street, where they had to give the numbers to the manager. If they were incorrect, they had to wait 10 minutes before they could make another guess. If they were correct, they received a copy of
The Master and Margarita by
Mikhail Bulgakov, and found a clue about their next destination –
Bulgakov's old flat – on the page of the correct answer. They reunited with their teammate at the Bulgakov House, where they received their next clue. • After traveling to
Sokolniki Park, teams had to search for a woman with a
Shetland pony in order to receive their next clue. • For their Speed Bump, Andrew & Dan had to perform a
traditional Russian dance to the satisfaction of a choreographer before they could continue racing. • This leg's Detour was a choice between Ride the Rails or Ride the Lines. In Ride the Rails, teams had to take the
Moscow Metro from
Sokolniki to
Ulitsa 1905 Goda, where they picked up a
samsa from a snack stand. The wrapper directed teams to
Kitay-Gorod, where they had to give the samosa to a
babushka near the statue of
Saints Cyril and Methodius in
Slavyanskaya Square. In return, she gave them a postcard directing teams to the
VDNKh Park station, where they found their next clue. In Ride the Lines, teams had to travel by
trolleybus from Sokolniki Station to
Krasnoselskaya Station and find a key maker, who gave them a key. The key tag directed teams to the
Rizhskaya Station, where they found a postcard with their next clue inside a locker. • After the Detour, teams had to travel by foot to the Pit Stop: the Central Pavilion of VDNKh Park. ;Additional note • Toni & Dallas were initially denied their clue at the Detour, because they had taken the metro instead of a taxi, as had been required in the clue, and were required to go back to the end of the Roadblock and return to the Detour by taxi. After all of the other teams had checked in at the Pit Stop, Phil came out to Rizhskaya Station to inform Toni & Dallas of their elimination.
Leg 11 (Russia → United States) included a final memory task which took place around
Cascade Locks and Canal, including the
Bridge of the Gods. • Episode 11: "You Look Like Peter Pan" (December 7, 2008) • Prize: US$1,000,000 • Winners: Nick & Starr • Runners-up: Ken & Tina • Third place: Andrew & Dan ;Locations •
Moscow (
Maly Krasnokholmsky Bridge) • Moscow →
Portland, Oregon •
Newberg (Tilikum Retreat Center) •
Cascade Locks (
Bridge of the Gods) • Cascade Locks (
Cascade Locks Marine Park – Thunder Island) • Portland (
Portland Building) • Portland (
Standard Building) • Portland (
Alder Street Food Cart Pods) • Portland (
Voodoo Doughnut) • Portland (
Pittock Mansion) ;Episode summary • At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to
Portland, Oregon. Once there, teams had to travel to the Tilikum Retreat Center in
Newberg and find their next clue. • This season's final Detour was a choice between High & Dry or Low & Wet. In High & Dry, each team member had to climb up a tree, where they had to balance themselves on a log and then jump off to each grab half of their next clue. In Low & Wet, teams would have had to walk across floating logs to a river island in order to retrieve their next clue. All teams chose High & Dry. • After the Detour, teams had to travel to the
Bridge of the Gods in
Cascade Locks, Oregon, where they had to ride a
zip-line from the bridge along the
Columbia River to nearby Thunder Island. There, teams undertook a memory challenge. Given an answer board with spaces numbered for the first ten legs, they removed covers one at a time, revealing the symbol of either a Roadblock, Detour, Route Info, or Pit Stop. Teams then had to search through 150 identical clue boxes to find a picture depicting the task or location from that leg. When they retrieved a picture and placed it on the board in the corresponding position, a green light would indicate whether it was correct and if so, they could move on to the next one; otherwise they had to try again. Once all ten spaces were correct, teams could retrieve their next clue directing them to the
Portland Building. : • At the Portland Building, teams had to search for a green
dinosaur statue located in the adjacent
Standard Building in order to find their next clue. Teams were then directed to the
Alder Street Food Cart Pods, where they had to search for the
food cart selling ethnic food from the country of the last Pit Stop (Russia), where the proprietor handed them their next clue. Teams were then instructed to travel to the place where "the magic is in the hole", and they had to figure out that it was a reference to
Voodoo Doughnut. There, teams found their final clue directing them to the finish line at the
Pittock Mansion. == Elimination Station ==