The Amazing Race Asia

Did You Know?

• The first three seasons aired yearly, but season 4 was delayed by a year and returned in 2010.
• In 2010, the first three seasons premiered with Hungarian voiceovers in Hungary on AXN Hungary and Animax Eastern Europe as 'The Amazing Race Ázsia'.
• The show has visited the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and includes 5 Finish Lines.

The Race

The Amazing Race Asia pairs two people who share a personal connection in a global competition. Teams travel through a series of legs, completing tasks and following clues to reach a Pit Stop, where they rest for twelve hours before the next leg begins. The first team to check in at a Pit Stop usually wins a prize, while the last team is typically eliminated. However, in non-elimination legs, the last team may face a penalty in the following round. The final three teams compete in the last leg, and the first to cross the finish line takes home a cash prize of 100,000. So far, 80 contestants have taken part, many of whom are well-known figures in their home countries. Since the show airs on an English-language network, all participants must speak English. Contestants come from across Asia, though the Middle East, Laos, North Korea, Russia, and East Timor are excluded. Palau is included, as are non-Asian workers who have lived in Asia for an extended period. Japanese residents became eligible starting with season two, while Fiji could apply at first but lost that eligibility by season five. Route Markers are yellow and red flags that indicate where teams need to go. In the second leg of season three, these markers were yellow and white to avoid confusion with the flag of South Vietnam. Clues are hidden in sealed envelopes inside clue boxes. A Route Info clue gives general directions or a task to complete. A Detour offers a choice between two tasks, and teams can switch if they find one too difficult.

Reception

The first season of The Amazing Race Asia kicked off with a bang, topping its timeslot in Singapore and Malaysia, coming in second in the Philippines, and ranking first among adults 18–39 in New Zealand. Season 2’s finale saw ratings climb in Malaysia and Singapore compared to the first season. By Season 3, the show had drawn 18.8 million viewers in select markets, and across its initial three seasons, it reached more than 34 million viewers throughout Asia. During that period, it was the highest-rated program in its timeslot among all international channels in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. Season 4 experienced a 71% jump in average ratings over the prior season, with a total audience of 19.3 million viewers across Asia. After a six-year break, Season 5 returned, and both its premiere and finale became the top-rated shows in their timeslot among regional English-language entertainment pay-TV channels in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The series earned back-to-back Asian Television Awards for Best Adaptation of an Existing Format in 2008 and 2009. Its third season also received an International Emmy nomination in 2009. Following its hiatus, the show swept all three of its nominations at the Asian Television Awards.

Criticisms

Season 1 of The Amazing Race Asia introduced time penalties more frequently than usual. Typically, these penalties were applied before a team could check in at the Pit Stop, which could drop them in the rankings and risk elimination. However, controversy arose when some penalties were instead enforced at the start of the following leg. For instance, Andy & Laura began Leg 7 at the Chard Farm Winery Pit Stop in Queenstown carrying a 92-minute penalty for Andy's speeding during Leg 6. If that penalty had been applied before they checked in at the end of Leg 6, they would have finished last and been eliminated. Melody & Sharon, the team eliminated in that leg, told the press they were surprised the speeding rule wasn't enforced at the Pit Stop, especially since they had seen how the rules could be used.

Many viewers also complained that teams didn't always drive themselves to the next destination and that they often ended up on the same flight. According to an interview with Wu, these issues were addressed in the second season. Another common criticism was the show's heavy reliance on sponsor promotion. This was most obvious in tasks that required high definition cameras and in leg prizes, which were usually tech gadgets from sponsors rather than vacations or trips, as seen on the American version (sponsored by Travelocity). Executive producer Bertram van Munster admitted there was more product placement, explaining that the show had a much smaller budget and that while he wasn't fond of obvious product placement, the bills had to be paid.

Season 1 also drew criticism for vague clues and tasks that seemed impossible to complete. A notable example was the roadblock in Leg 3, where five of the nine teams failed. Ambiguous instructions like "you know it when you see it" caused some teams to wander in circles searching for clues.