The Amazing Race Australia 1
The Amazing Race Australia 1 is the first season of the Australian reality television game show The Amazing Race Australia, the Australian version of The Amazing Race. The first season featured eleven teams of two in a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world to win the grand prize of. The show was produced by activeTV Australia.
The show premiered on Australia's Seven Network on 16 May 2011 at 8:30pm. The season finale was aired on 1 August 2011.
The season concluded with best friends and surfers Tyler Atkins and Nathan Jolliffe winning the Race.
Production
Filming and Development
Filming began on 5 November 2010 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne. The Race travelled across four continents, 11 countries and 23 cities. Some of the countries visited during the series include: Indonesia and Israel. Indonesia was later visited in the nineteenth series of the original American version in October 2011, while Israel has never been visited by other version of the Race outside of Israel's own version.During the Vietnam leg, all route markers were coloured yellow and green instead of yellow and red. This was done to avoid confusion with the former South Vietnamese national flag, which is also yellow and red. The route markers for the Vietnam leg were similar to those used in, the Brazilian version of the Race.
Cast
Application deadline for the first series closed on 17 September 2010 initially with the applicants required to be at least 18 years old with citizenship or permanent residency. However, due to insurance issues overseas, the minimum age for applicants was raised from 18 to 21 years of age.The cast included married fitness entrepreneurs, farmers, friends of Egyptian descent, models, Big W workmates and reunited sisters. Notably, Nathan, who teamed up with Tyler, is the boyfriend of 2006 Miss Australia, Erin McNaught. Renae was also the runner up of Miss Universe Australia 2010. Entrepreneurs Richard & Joey Marc are the authors of Please Mum, Don't Supersize Me!. Ryot & Liberty are the brother and sister of the comedian Rebel Wilson.
Dating couple Chris & Anastasia have since split up, although they deny that their relationship was negatively affected by television exposure.
Future appearances
Nathan was a contestant on the second season of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia on the Nine Network, in which he came second losing to music guru Ian "Dicko" Dickson. In the final challenge, he raised $80,000 for his charity Epilepsy Australia.Richard & Joey had a television show on Foxtel called Feel Good TV.
After the 2011 edition, Mel Greig replaced Maude Garrett as a co-host of the Hot30 Countdown on the Today Radio Network, where she later gained international notoriety for her role in a controversial prank call to an English hospital, which was treating the Duchess of Cambridge for morning sickness. Subsequently, she also appeared on the fourth series of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia. She was eliminated in episode 8 and raised $10,000 for Endometriosis Australia.
Mo had a role on a Muslim sketch comedy show on SBS called Legally Brown.
In 2019, Sam Schoers competed in the sixth season of Australian Survivor. She was eliminated on Day 16 and finished in 18th place.
Marketing
The Amazing Race Australia is sponsored by Canon, National Australia Bank, Honda, Vodafone and Gloria Jean's. The Amazing Race Australia also had an app for Android, iPhone and Blackberry where the user could track the teams and watch full episodes.Results
The following teams participated in the Race, with their relationships at the time of filming. 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:- A team placement means the team was eliminated.
- An team's placement indicates that the team came in last on one of two non-elimination legs of the Race and was "Marked for Elimination"; if the team did not finish 1st on the next leg, they would receive a 30-minute penalty.
- A indicates that the team decided to use the Express Pass on that leg.
- A indicates that the team won a Fast Forward clue.
- A means the team chose to use a U-Turn; indicates the team who received it.
- Matching coloured symbols indicate teams who worked together during part of the leg as a result of an Intersection.
- An underlined leg number indicates that there was no mandatory rest period at the Pit Stop and all teams were ordered to continue racing. An underlined team placement indicates that the team came in last on a "continue racing" leg was not eliminated.
- ^ For unknown reasons on the subsequent leg, the starting placements of Anne-Marie & Tracy and Alana & Mel were switched, resulting in Anne-Marie & Tracy and Alana & Mel starting in 9th and 8th place, respectively.
- Mo & Mos initially arrived 4th, but were issued a 30-minute penalty for being "marked for elimination" and not arriving 1st. Three teams checked in during their penalty time, dropping Mo & Mos to 7th.
- ^ Sam & Renae used the Express Pass to bypass the Roadblock in Leg 3. Before using the Express Pass, Sam elected to perform the Roadblock; this is reflected in the total Roadblock count.
- ^ Mo & Mos initially arrived 9th, but were issued a 4-hour penalty for not completing the Roadblock. Anne-Marie & Tracey, the only team trailing Mo & Mos at that point, were also issued the same penalty after electing to quit the task; since Mo & Mos began their penalty first, they were allowed to check-in with their remaining penalty time to be assessed at the start of the next leg, while Anne-Marie and Tracy were eliminated without the 4-hour penalty being issued.
- ^ Sam & Renae and Chris & Anastasia initially arrived 1st and 2nd, respectively, but both teams were penalized for quitting the Intersection task. Chris & Anastasia were given the full 4-hour penalty for electing to quit the task, while Sam & Renae were given a 2-hour penalty after being forced to quit the task by Chris & Anastasia. While Sam & Renae's placement dropped to 3rd, Chris & Anastasia's placement were dropped to last place and resulted in their elimination.
- Dave & Kelly failed to reach the Masada Pit Stop. After all other teams had checked in at the Pit Stop, Grant came out to their location to inform them of their elimination.
- ^ Sam & Renae and Nathan & Tyler initially arrived 1st and 2nd, respectively, but both teams were issued a 20-minute penalty for taking a private vehicle to the Roadblock. This did not affect either teams' placements.
- Because Sam & Renae finished 1st, their 30-minute "marked for elimination" penalty was nullified.
- Jeff & Luke bought 2nd class tickets on the train to Galle, when the clue instructed them to purchase 3rd class tickets. For this, they incurred a 10-minute penalty before leaving Galle Station.
Prizes
- Leg 1 – 10,000 from National Australia Bank and The Express Pass – an item that can be used on the Race to skip any one task of the team's choosing.
- Leg 2 – Two tickets to the 2011 AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and a VIP tour of the National Sports Museum.
- Leg 3 – A$10,000 from National Australia Bank.
- Leg 4 – A$5,000 shopping spree at Kathmandu.
- Leg 5 – A$5,000 home entertainment system from Bing Lee.
- Leg 6 – A$5,000 shopping spree at Kathmandu.
- Leg 7 – None
- Leg 8 – A$10,000 from National Australia Bank.
- Leg 9 – A$5,000 personal computer package from Bing Lee.
- Leg 10 – A$10,000 from National Australia Bank.
- Leg 11 – A$5,000 home entertainment system from Bing Lee.
- Leg 12 – A$250,000
Episode title quotes
- "Nothing's Smooth Sailing with Us" – Tracy
- "Like Four Seasons in a Day" – Chris
- "We've Got Pain, But We've Not Lost Any Weight" – Anne-Marie
- "A Town That Was 15-20 Letters Long" – Nathan
- "The Woman-ness to Realize Where You Went Wrong" – Chris
- "The Last Team Will Spend the Night in the Dungeon" – Last Clue
- "It's Just Like Where's Wally" – Tom
- "At Least the View's Nice" – Chris
- "When I Saw Everyone Freezing to Death" – Kelly
- "I Hope We Don't Have to Wear a Crown of Thorns" – Tom
- "You the Nice Cowboy" – Israeli Taxi Driver to Matt & Tom
- "You're Good at Spending Money" – Tyler & Nathan's Fortune Teller, in Mandarin Chinese, through a translator
Race summary
Leg 1 (Australia → Indonesia)
Airdate: 16 May 2011- Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Melbourne to Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
- Denpasar to Mataram, Lombok
- :id:Lingsar, Lombok Barat|Lingsar
- Mataram
- Malaka to Gili Islands
- Gili Islands
- Gili Islands
The first Detour of the series was a choice of Cash or Carry. In Cash, teams had to make and sell the local traditional bakso for no less than Rp 5,000 per bowl. Once they sold 15 bowls, teams could exchange their earnings with the stall owner, who would give them their next clue. In Carry, teams had to find a market stall and carry traditional produce on their heads to another market stall within the same market before receiving their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- At BlueWater Express, teams signed up for one of three boats leaving for Lombok. The first boat, which left at 6:00 a.m, had room for the first three teams, while the remaining boats, leaving in 30-minute intervals after the first boat, would carry four teams each.
- At Tandjoengkarang Fishing Village, teams had to search for their next clue, which was hidden under the nets of a fishing boat.
- At Pura Lingsar Temple, teams experienced a rice cake war ritual called perang topat, where teams were pelted with rice cakes and powder by locals in order to obtain their next clue.
- At Malimbu Beach, teams had to ride an outrigger to Gili Trawangan Island. Once there, both team members had to swim to Halik Reef, where one member had to retrieve a briefcase from the reef. After returning to shore, teams had to count the money in the briefcase, where totals varied from team to team, and would receive their next clue after obtaining the correct amount. Teams were then instructed to travel by a horse-drawn carriage called a cidomo to the Pit Stop.
Leg 2 (Indonesia → Vietnam)
- Mataram or Denpasar to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Ho Chi Minh City to Huế
- Huế
- Huế
- Hương Thủy
- Hương Trà and Hương Thủy
- Huế
For this Roadblock, one team member had to retrieve seven coins representing the seven emperors of the Nguyễn dynasty at Minh Mạng Tomb then bring them back to Khải Định Tomb, where they would find out that they had to place the coins in the correct order of the reign of the emperors to receive their next clue. Each table that had a coin at Minh Mạng Tomb also contained information about the reigns of the corresponding emperor, and racers could return to the tomb to obtain this information.
;Additional tasks
- In the square outside Saigon Opera House, teams had to search amongst hundreds of women wearing nón lás to find the woman that had their team name written on her fan, which they could exchange for their next clue.
- At Trần Thanh Mại Garage, teams had to change the two rear tires and motor oil of a marked ex-army jeep to receive their next clue. Teams would then use the jeep as their transportation for the rest of the leg.
- At the start of the leg, teams could either take a fast boat back to Denpasar to take a flight to Ho Chi Minh City or take a flight directly from the island of Lombok.
Leg 3 (Vietnam → Hong Kong → Macau)
- Huế to Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong, China
- Southern District
- *Eastern District
- Kowloon City District
- Central and Western District to Freguesia da Sé, Macau
- Zona do Aterro de Cotai
- Freguesia de São Francisco Xavier
This leg's Detour was a choice between Lion Dance and Kung Fu Stance. For both Detour options, teams had to travel to Kowloon Walled City Park. In Lion Dance, teams had to dress up and perform a traditional lion dance to the master's satisfaction to receive their next clue. In Kung Fu Stance, teams had to perform a series of precise kung fu moves to the satisfaction of the kung fu master then break six clay tiles before receiving their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to arrange 12 paper lanterns depicting the animals of the Chinese zodiac in chronological order using clues given to them in their clue. Once the animals were in the correct order of Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig, a gate would open allowing teams entrance to the Pit Stop.
;Additional tasks
- At Jumbo Floating Restaurant, teams had to bite into over a thousand fortune cookies until they came across one with a specific message inside telling them to receive their next clue from the waiter.
- After arriving in Macau by TurboJET, teams had to travel to The Venetian Macao, where they had to don formal wear before playing Baccarat with a dealer. Each time teams won a game, they would earn a Mahjong lettered tile, and after they won ten games, the titles would reveal their next location: A Ma Village.
Leg 4 (Macau → South Africa)
outside of Port Elizabeth.
- Freguesia de Santo António
- Freguesia de Nossa Senhora do Carmo or Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong to Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- Graaff-Reinet
- Port Elizabeth
- Garden Route National Park
- Addo
- Addo
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to perform the world's highest bridge bungee jump off of the Bloukrans Bridge from a height of. After the team member completed the traumatizing fall, teams would receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- Upon arrival in Port Elizabeth, teams had to search for a marked vehicle in the airport carpark with a clue inside the windscreen that instructed teams to drive to Camdeboo National Park and search the Valley of Desolation for their next clue.
- After the Roadblock, teams had to find a goat pen in Nomathamsanqa, where they had to collect a goat and deliver it to a witch doctor known as a sangoma to receive their next clue.
- Teams began the fourth leg at the Ruins of Saint Paul's.
Leg 5 (South Africa)
- Port Elizabeth to Cape Town
- Cape Town
- Melkbosstrand
- Cape Town
- Cape Town
- Cape Town
- Paarl
- Atlantis
- Cape Town
The Detour was a choice between Guns and Rosé. In Guns, teams had to shoot 9 different moving clay targets using a shotgun at the Valley Gun Club to receive their next clue. Team members had to alternate shooting after 5 shots. In Rosé, teams had to roll a large wine barrel across the Nelson's Creek Wine Estate to a wining station and completely fill the barrel with rosé to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- At Nobel Square, teams encountered an Intersection, which required the two Intersected teams to load two trailers with toys and supplies at Kargo Warehouse and deliver them to Intyatyambo Orphanage. Once all the materials were delivered, the teams would receive their next clue and were no longer Intersected.
- At Atlantis Dunes, teams had to drive all-terrain vehicles to an area filled with 15 covered baskets. Underneath three baskets were teams' next clue while the rest contained hourglasses of varying sizes teams have to overturn and wait for the sand to run out before they could continue.
Leg 6 (South Africa → Netherlands → Czech Republic)
- Cape Town to Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam
- Amsterdam to Prague, Czech Republic
- Prague
- Prague
- Prague
- Prague
- Prague
In this Roadblock, teams had to travel to Střelecký Island and find a medieval village, where one team member had to hit a target on the archery range twice in 40 attempts to receive their next clue. If their arrow struck a bullseye, they would also receive a A$50 bonus from National Australia Bank.
;Additional tasks
- At Oud Hollands Gebakkraa, each team member had to eat two appelbollen, a Belgian pastry popular in the Netherlands that is made out of a whole cored apple wrapped in puff pastry, to receive their next clue. The first four teams to finish their appelbollen would receive tickets for a sleeping car on a 15-hour train ride to Prague, Czech Republic, while the remaining three teams were given tickets for standard seats on a passenger car.
- At the Powder Tower, teams had to search nearby for their clue, which instructed teams to search the Charles Bridge for a "holey" statue to find their next clue.
Leg 7 (Czech Republic)
- Prague
- Prague
- Prague
- Plzeň
- Kutná Hora
- Kutná Hora
For the Roadblock, one team member had to climb to the top of the church then abseil down to the church floor, with the church choir's singing accompanying them on the way down, to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- At the Dancing House, teams had to search nearby for a vintage Škoda, which contained their next clue and would be their only means of transportation while in the Czech Republic.
- At Štvanice Stadium, teams had to score one goal against a goalkeeper for the Czech national hockey team to receive their next clue.
- At St. Nicolas Church, teams had to collect cameras and climb to the top of the cathedral tower 304 steps high to a "Soviet Spy" post, whereupon they had 30 seconds to locate and photograph of a man waving a flag with Race colours, introduced in the previous clue as a "person of interest", and not the man waving a flag advertising a local museum. If teams took a picture of the correct man, they received their next clue; otherwise, they had to return to the bottom of the tower and, whilst climbing back up, count the number of steps to receive their next clue. If teams gave an incorrect number, they had to climb up the steps again.
Leg 8 (Czech Republic → Poland)
- Kutná Hora to Kraków, Poland
- Kraków
- Wieliczka
- Zakopane
- Czorsztyn
- Niedzica
The Detour was a choice between Herd and Hoe Down. In Herd, teams travelled into the Polish countryside, where they had to build a pen using the fences provided and herd at least the three sheep marked with a red stripe into it in order to receive their next clue. In Hoe Down, teams travelled to Karczma Czarci Jar Restaurant, where they donned traditional clothing and learned a Polish axe dance. Once the judge was satisfied with teams' dancing, they received the next clue.
;Additional tasks
- After arriving in Krakow, teams had to search outside the railway station for a marked vehicle with their next clue.
- At Cape Stylchen, teams encountered an Intersection, where two members of the Intersected teams at a time had to cut four slices off of a large log using a two-man saw to receive their next clue. Teams had to swap the people sawing after each slice. After completing the task, teams were no longer Intersected.
Leg 9 (Poland → Israel)
For the Roadblock, teams had to first travel by train to the Port of Haifa, where one team member had member to rig a container truck, drive it through an obstacle course, and reverse the containers into a loading space to receive their next clue.
The Detour was a choice between Find Unseen and Make 13. For both Detour options, teams had to travel to Jerusalem Beach. In Find Unseen, teams had to use a metal detector to a search marked area for the one key that would unlock a chest containing the next clue. In Make 13, teams had to play matkot, a traditional Israeli bat and ball game similar to racquet. They had to hit a ball back and forth 13 times without letting it hit the ground before they would receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- At Azrieli Center, teams had to make their way to the helipad of the tallest of the three towers to obtain their next clue.
- At Hasimta Theatre one team member had to answer five questions about the other teams of the Race. The questions were:
- After the Detour, teams had to find a marked car and drive themselves to the ancient Masada ruins to check into the Pit Stop.
Leg 10 (Israel)
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to translate a Hebrew message written from right-to-left on a scroll resembling the Dead Sea Scrolls using a translation guide and then transcribe the message left-to-right to receive their next clue.
This leg's Detour involved religious aspects of the Holy City and was a choice of Pilgrim's Trail or Holy Grail. In Pilgrim's Trail, teams travelled to the Old City, where they picked up an wooden cross and had to carry it along the Via Dolorosa passing by the nine Stations of the Cross, the path Jesus is said to have taken along to the site of his crucifixion, to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to receive their next clue. In Holy Grail, teams travelled to the Western Wall and entered an active archaeological dig site in the Kotel Tunnels. There, teams had to unearth a clay pot and then walk through the tunnels to deliver it to an archaeologist in the City of David to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- At the start of the leg, teams had to take a cable car up to the ruins to find the Winter Palace of King Herod, where they would find their next clue, instructing them to drive to site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered to find their next clue.
- During the Pit Stop, teams recorded messages to their loved ones at home and had to hold onto the memory cards until they reached the Central Post Office Building, where teams had to send their record messages home in the mail to receive their next clue.
- After the Detour, teams were instructed to walk along the Rampart Walk near Dung Gate to locate their next clue.
Leg 11 (Israel → Sri Lanka)
- Tel Aviv to Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Colombo
- Colombo
- Colombo to Galle
- Galle
- Galle to Ambalangoda
- Nugegoda
- Colombo
In this Roadblock, one team member had to use an industrial sewing machine to properly sew fabric cuttings into a shirt to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- At Gangaramaya Temple, teams had to receive a blessing before receiving their next clue.
- After the Detour, teams were instructed to travel by third class train to Galle. After arriving, teams had to make their way to Galle Fort to find their next clue.
- At Galle Fort, teams had to unlock a chest with the year Sri Lanka gained independence from the United Kingdom: 1948. Inside the chest was a clue that asked for the year of birth of Sri Lanka's first Prime Minister Don Stephen Senanayake: 1884, to open a second chest containing their next clue.
- At Ambalangoda Train Station, teams had to find a mask stall vendor. There, teams had to memorize a mask and then search a nearby street festival for a person wearing a matching mask in order to receive their next clue.
Leg 12 (Sri Lanka → Singapore → Australia)
- Colombo to Singapore
- Singapore
- Singapore
- Singapore
- Singapore
- Singapore
- Singapore to Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Perth
- Fremantle
- Rockingham
- Perth
The final Roadblock of the Race required one team member to pick out 12 flags out of a basket of 16, with the flags of the Philippines, Morocco, Vanuatu, and Greenland as decoys, and arrange the flags of the countries they visited during the Race in chronological order, starting and ending in Australia. The correct order was:
Country | Australia | Indonesia | Vietnam | China | South Africa | Netherlands | Czech Republic | Poland | Israel | Sri Lanka | Singapore | Australia |
Flag |
Once all flags were in the correct order, teams would receive their final clue from a geography professor.
;Additional tasks
- At Goh Chor Tua Pek Kong Chinese Temple, teams had to break open durians and until they found one with red coloured flesh inside to receive their next clue.
- At Hong San See Taoist Temple, teams had to participate in a five-minute palm reading from a fortune teller before receiving their next clue.
- At Jurong Chinese Gardens, teams had to search for a statue of Confucius that would lead them to their next clue.
- At the Singapore Flyer, teams had to choose one of the 28 Ferris wheel capsules and read the Race envelope inside. Only three capsules contained their next clue while the rest contained envelops that told teams to try again. If teams picked an incorrect capsule, they had to wait out a 21-minute rotation before they could attempt another pick.
- At Fremantle Prison, teams would be given 12 keys that they had to use to search the cells of the prison until they found a cell with their next clue. Teams had to lock each door they opened before they could continue searching.
Ratings