The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel 1
The first season of The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel is a Latin American reality television game show based on the American series, The Amazing Race. The first season of the show featured eleven teams of two with a pre-existing relationship, in a race across Latin America to win US$250,000. The race was produced by RGB Entertainment. The host of the show is Harris Whitbeck.
The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel premiered on Sunday 20 September 2009 at 10:00 p.m.. The season finale was aired on 13 December 2009 at 10:00 p.m..
Argentine married couple Matías Franchini and Tamara Reichelt were the winners of the Race.
Production
Development and Filming
greenlit the first installment in November 2008.Filming lasted for 23 days and covered nearly. The first season spanned nine countries in two continents. This season marked a first-time visit by any Amazing Race franchise outside of the American edition to visit North America. Among them, 7 have been visited by the original American version, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Peru. At the time the season aired, Colombia and the Dominican Republic hadn't been visited in the American version with Colombia later visited in the twenty-eighth season of the original American version, in 2016.
The route markers in this season were colored blue and black, including the clue envelopes and the Pit Stop. Also different from other editions is the fact that the opening shows the teams' country of origin.
Only two teams, both of which were Mexican teams, appeared at the Finish Line.
Cast
Applications were accepted from 17 November 2008 to 31 January 2009.This season counted with eleven teams from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela. The cast includes the first team in the history of the franchise composed of a godfather and a godson, a homosexual dating couple, and a team of non-identical twins.
Results
The following teams participated in the Race, with their relationships at the time of filming. Placements are listed in finishing order:- A team placement indicates that the team was eliminated.
- A and team placement indicates that the team won a Fast Forward clue.
- An team placement indicates that the team came in last on a non-elimination leg and had to perform a Speed Bump in the next leg of the Race.
- A indicates that the team chose to use the Yield; indicates the team who received it; around a leg number indicates that the Yield for that leg was available but not used.
- A indicates that the team chose to use a U-Turn; indicates the team who received it.
- Italicized results indicate the position of the team at the midpoint of a two-episode leg.
- Ariel & Nora initially arrived 3rd, but were issued a 4-hour penalty for not completing the Speed Bump. All other teams trailing them checked-in during their penalty time, dropping Ariel & Nora to last place and resulting in their elimination.
- ^ Diego & Miguel and Mario & Melissa were both issued 1-hour penalties for not completing an additional task. At that time they were the only two teams left to check in at that point, and since Diego & Miguel began their penalty first, they were allowed to check-in with their penalty time to be assessed at the start of the next leg, while Mario & Melissa were eliminated without the 1-hour penalty being issued.
- Casilda & Casilda initially arrived 2nd, but they were issued a 1-hour penalty for doing the option not chosen by them on the Detour. All other teams trailing them checked-in during their penalty time, dropping Casilda & Casilda to last place; however, they were notified the leg was non-elimination, and the remaining penalty would be assessed at the start of the next leg.
- Casilda & Casilda didn't complete the Roadblock. Already in last place, Casilda & Casilda proceeded to the Pit Stop where they checked in and were eliminated without the 4-hour penalty being issued.
- Daniel & David and Daniel & Carlos both agreed to a 2nd place tie after both teams stepped on the Pit Stop mat at the same time.
- Leg 12 was a double-length leg. It featured a Virtual Pit Stop, and had two Detours and two Roadblocks and was shown over two episodes.
Prizes
- Leg 1 – $200 credit card issued by Visa for each team member.
- Leg 2 – $200 credit card issued by Visa for each team member.
- Leg 3 – $300 credit card issued by Visa for each team member.
- Leg 4 – $300 credit card issued by Visa and a Nintendo DSi for each team member.
- Leg 5 – $300 credit card issued by Visa and a Wii for each team member.
- Leg 6 – $400 credit card issued by Visa and a Palm Treo Pro for each team member.
- Leg 7 – $400 credit card issued by Visa and a Wii for each team member.
- Leg 8 – $500 credit card issued by Visa and a Palm Treo Pro for each team member.
- Leg 9 – $600 credit card issued by Visa and a Nintendo DSi for each team member.
- Leg 10 – $800 credit card issued by Visa and a Palm Treo Pro for each team member.
- Leg 11 – $1000 credit card issued by Visa, a Palm Treo Pro for each team member, and a 7 night stay at The Fairmont Mayakoba Hotel & Spa located at the Riviera Maya, Mexico with a spa treatment.
- Leg 12.1 – 2 tickets courtesy of Mexicana Airlines, 7 nights in the State of Yucatán.
- Leg 12.2 – $250,000
Race summary
Leg 1 (Brazil)
Airdate: September 20, 2009- Iguaçu National Park, Paraná, Brazil
- Iguaçu National Park
- Iguaçu National Park
- Foz do Iguaçu to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul
- Porto Alegre
- Gramado
- Gramado
- Gramado
- Gramado
;Additional tasks
- In Garganta do Diabo Falls, teams were instructed to find their bikes in Espaço Naipi and then ride to Mirante 2. There, they had to walk to the Canion Iguaçu entrance. In the entrance was the cluebox with their next clue.
- In Canion Iguaçu, teams had to rappel down to the Iguaçu River shore. At the shore, teams needed to raft down the river to Puerto Macuco dock. The cluebox with their next clue was waiting at the dock.
- In Mini Mundo, teams had to find five characters that were hidden in some models of the park. They needed to match the characters with the places where they were hiding. After they were approved, teams received their next clue.
Leg 2 (Brazil → Argentina)
- Porto Alegre
- Porto Alegre to Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Buenos Aires
- San Isidro
- Buenos Aires
- Buenos Aires
For their Speed Bump, Ariel & Nora had to drive a van and deliver 5 packs of papers to some newsstands before they could continue racing.
The Detour was a choice between Caballos and Caballerizas. In Caballos, teams had to ride by horse in the Arena and pick up two flags that they could exchange for their next clue. In Caballerizas, teams had to clean a stable completely and take the mess in a wheelbarrow to the fertilizer's reservoir to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- In the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences, the teams had to assemble a tyrannosaurus rex in scale, then take it to the paleontologist who would review it. If it was properly built, the paleontologist would give them the next clue.
- After leaving the Jockey Club, teams had to rent a "remise" to go to the Buenos Aires Zoo, where they would find a human statue. After giving it some money, they received the next clue.
Leg 3 (Argentina)
- Buenos Aires to Mendoza
- Mendoza
- * Mendoza
- Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo
- Villa Potrerillos
- Puente del Inca Village
- Aconcagua Provincial Park
In the leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search in a vineyard for a box with wine bottles inside. They had to take 18 bottles, label them, and put in their boxes to receive their next clue.
The Detour was a choice between Aire and Piedra. In Aire teams had to do a zipline. In Piedra teams received a stone with a copy of a rock drawing, then had to search for that drawing on the hill and show it to the shaman to receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- In Feria de Puente del Inca, teams had to write two letters with 50 words to their families to receive their next clue from the postman.
Leg 4 (Argentina → Chile)
- Santiago, Chile
- Santiago
- Santiago to Valparaíso
- Valparaíso
- Valparaíso
- Valparaíso
- Valparaíso
- Valparaíso
- Valparaíso to Santiago
- Santiago
The Detour was a choice between Mariscos and Carnada. In Mariscos, teams had to eat an entire plate of Mariscal Frio. Once finished, they would receive the next clue. In Carnada, teams had to place bait onto 100 fish hooks. Once finished, they would receive their next clue.
;Additional tasks
- In Baquedano Metro Station, teams had to find the Bibliometro Bookstore; then they had to ask for a copy of the book "Historia de la vida privada en Chile, Volume 2" to receive their next clue.
- Once in Valparaiso, teams had to find the site from the book cover, Paseo Atkinson. Once in that place, they needed to find a girl identical to the one on the book cover in order to receive their next clue.
- In Muelle Prat, teams had to travel by boat to the Muelle Barón to receive their next clue.
- In Caleta Portales, teams had to find an impersonator of Diego Maradona to receive their next clue.
Leg 5 (Chile → Peru)
- Santiago
- Santiago to Lima, Peru
- Lima
- Lima
- Lima
- Lima
- Lima
The Detour in this leg was Dulce and Salado. In Dulce, teams had to buy a packet of good luck cookies and look for a cookie with a message inside. Then they had to find that message in the sidewalk quarries. When they found it, they had to show it to the Chinese master to receive their next clue. In Salado, teams had to go to a Chinese-Peruvian restaurant called 'Chifa' and cut two ducks, hack 6 pounds of onion and ten heads of garlic, following an exotic recipe. Once finished, the cook gave the next clue.
;Additional task
- In Makaja Beach, teams had to go on a board to a float in the sea to receive their next clue.
Leg 6 (Peru)
- Lima to Cusco
- Cusco
- Cusco
- Cusco
- Písac
- Písac
- Písac
- Ollantaytambo, Urubamba Province
- Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes
- Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu
- Machu Picchu
The Detour in this leg was Hojas and Granos. In Hojas, teams had to search for three coca leaves among many different leaves. Once found, they had to give them to the Master Healer to receive the next clue. In Granos, teams had to transport 100 maize cobs to a large course. Once completed, the Cacique gave the next clue.
;Additional tasks
- At Hotel Europa, teams signed up for one of three departure times, all of which were the following morning.
- In Plazoleta de San Blas, teams had to find Ñusta Maria to receive the next clue.
- In Puente Pisac, teams had to take local transportation, then go to the marketplace of Písac, where they had to search for a particular stall for the next clue.
- In Puesto de Lanas, after the overnight rest, teams had to look for a Huayruro with the word 'Peru', inside balls of wool and search for the Quispe's house; once given the seed, the Quispe would give the next clue.
Leg 7 (Peru → Colombia)
- Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo
- Cusco to Bogotá, Colombia
- Útica
- Fusagasugá
- Bogotá
- Bogotá
- Bogotá
- * Bogotá
- Bogotá
The Detour in this leg was Visual or Táctil. In Visual, teams had 15 seconds to observe a Fernando Botero painting in Virgilio Barco Public Library, then fill in another painting with some colors missing. When judged correct, they received the next clue. In Táctil, teams had to receive a chocolate massage to receive the next clue.
For their Speed Bump, Casilda & Casilda had to play tejo until one team member struck a gunpowder-loaded target with a stone before they could continue racing.
;Additional tasks
- In Coloma Farm, teams had to fill, sew, then weigh 4 coffee bags with 44 pounds in each one to receive the next clue.
- At a ETB Phone Booth near Santamaría Bullring, teams had call a number to listen to the next clue.
Leg 8 (Colombia)
- Bogotá
- Bogotá to Cartagena
- Cartagena
- Cartagena
- Cartagena
- Cartagena
- Cartagena
- Cartagena
In the leg's Roadblock, a team member had to eat a bottle of local candies to receive the next clue.
;Additional tasks
- In Portal Interactivo ETB, teams had to check in on the website AeroRepública, then go to the airport to receive the next clue from a flight attendant.
- In Hotel Sofitel Cartagena Santa Clara, teams had to unscramble a phrase from the novel Love in the Time of Cholera, written by Gabriel García Márquez. They had to look for the phrase in a copy of the novel. When they thought it was right, they had to say the phrase to the typist, then give the paper with the phrase on it to a judge to analyze; if the phrase was right they would receive their next clue.
- In Parque de Las Flores, teams had to search for the salesman with their next clue.
Leg 9 (Colombia → Panama)
- Cartagena to Panama City, Panama
- Panama City
- Panama City
- Panama City
- Panama City
- Panama City
- Gamboa
- Gamboa
- Gamboa
In the leg's Roadblock, at the Cargo Terminal of the Pacific, a team member had to look among 60 freight wagons for the only lamp which could be turned on; once it was found, they received the next clue.
;Additional tasks
- In Figali Convention Center, teams received a picture and had to look for that picture painted on a Diablos Rojos to receive the next clue; then they had to travel by Diablos Rojos to the next destination.
- In the Gamboa Rainforest Resort Marina, teams had to find the next clue among the boats. Then they had to take a boat to San Antonio Island.
- On San Antonio Island, each team member had to put a traditional Embera tattoo on the other. When finished, they had to row in a native canoe until they reached a trail that took them to the Pit Stop.
Leg 10 (Panama → Dominican Republic)
- Panama City to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Santo Domingo
- Santo Domingo
- Santo Domingo
- San Pedro de Macorís
- Hato Mayor del Rey
- Santo Domingo
The Detour was a choice between Ofrenda and Astucia. In Ofrenda, teams had to search for a small statuette inside a cave and take it to a big statuette in another place in the cave. Once they put them together properly, they would receive the next clue. In Astucia, teams had to form a square from pieces of a tangram. When finished, they would receive the next clue.
;Additional task
- At the Caoba Cigar Factory, teams had to roll 10 cigars with instructions from a professional; when they completed the task, they received the next clue.
Leg 11 (Dominican Republic → Costa Rica)
- Santo Domingo to Quepos, Costa Rica
- Quepos
- Quepos
- Quepos
- * Quepos
- Quepos to San José
- San José
- Irazú Volcano National Park
The Detour was Palas and Remos. In Palas, teams had to create the picture of a seahorse in the sand, following an example exactly. When they had completed this correctly, the sculptor would give them their next clue. In Remos, teams had to row a kayak to a boat in the sea, where a sailor would give them their next clue.
For their Speed Bump, Matías & Tamara had to set up six hotel rooms by making the beds and folding a pair of towel swans in each room before they could continue racing.
;Additional tasks
- At Espadilla Norte Beach, teams had to solve a mathematical challenge in which they had to discover the heaviest coconut among 8 coconuts using a scale to receive the next clue.
- In the Planetarium at University of Costa Rica, teams had to order the planets of the solar system by their distance from the Sun, from nearest to farthest including Ceres, Pluto and Eris, in order to receive the next clue.
Leg 12 (Costa Rica → Mexico)
- San José to Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico
- Cancún
- Cancún
- Playa del Carmen
- Playa Del Carmen
- Pacchen
- Playa Del Carmen
This leg's first Detour was a choice between Altura and Profundidad. In Altura, teams had 3 minutes to climb a greasy pole; each team member had to reach one flag on the top of the pole. Once they had collected two flags, they would receive the next clue. In Profundidad, teams had 3 minutes to dive into a shark tank, where each team member had to find a marked stone on the bottom of the tank; once they had collected the two marked stones, they would receive the next clue.
;Additional task
- In Cenote del Jaguar, teams had to participate in a Mayan ritual, then enter the cenote and search for the next clue in the wall.
- Cancún to Mexico City
- Mexico City
- Mexico City
- Mexico City
- Xochimilco
- Mexico City
- Mexico City
The final Detour of the Race was Mariachis or Trajineras. In Mariachis, teams had to find an image of Santa Muerte under a hat worn by one of the mariachis playing. Once they matched with a right hat, the lead band player would hand them their next clue. In Trajineras, teams had to find a trajinera called "Zita" and find the clue inside the boat.
;Additional tasks
- At the Angel of Independence, teams had to drive a Segway to Go Visa with only a picture as reference.
- At Estadio Olímpico's court, teams had to match the Pit Stops with the greeters in order of appearance to receive their final clue.