The Amazing Race 4

Overview

The Amazing Race is a reality competition series dreamed up by Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri, with Phil Keoghan as its host. Pairs of contestants travel the globe, racing from one destination to the next. On each leg, they must solve clues, find their way through unfamiliar places, talk to locals, tackle both physical and mental tasks, and manage a tight budget given by the show. Clues are handed out in sealed envelopes and come in four types.

A Route Info simply tells teams what to do next. A Detour offers a choice between two different activities; teams can pick either one or switch if they want. A Roadblock is a challenge that only one member of the team can perform, chosen based on a short clue. A Fast Forward is a special task that only one team can attempt, letting them skip everything else on that leg and head straight to the Pit Stop.

Usually, the last team to check in at each Pit Stop is eliminated. The team that finishes first in the final episode takes home one million dollars.

Race summary

The first episode of The Amazing Race 4, titled "Cheaters Never Win... and They Cheated!," aired on May 29, 2003. The prize for the leg was a trip to Hawaii, which went to Amanda and Chris, Millie and Chuck, and Steve and Josh. Debra and Steve were eliminated. The race began at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

Teams were instructed to fly to Milan, Italy, choosing from three available flights. Upon arrival, they went to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, where they searched for tickets for one of three charter buses departing the next day to an undisclosed location, which turned out to be Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Dolomite Mountains. At the Church of St. Filippo and Giacomo, teams found a clue directing them to the Cinque Torri. There, they rode a chairlift to the top and located their next clue on the mountain.

The season's first Fast Forward sent one team to Passo Giau, where they had to put on snowshoes and hike to the top of a snowy hill; Monica and Sheree claimed this advantage. The first Detour offered a choice between Search and Rescue. For Search, teams would use a locator beacon to find a beeper hidden in the snow, which held keys to a snowmobile they could drive to the next clue. For Rescue, teams crossed a traditional alpine rescue bridge made of four steel cables, then used a zipline to cross a ravine to their next clue.

Every team chose Rescue. After the Detour, teams rode the chairlift back down the mountain and traveled to the Pit Stop at the Hotel Lajadira.

The second episode, "It Doesn't Say Anything About First Come First Served... and We're Bigger," aired on June 5, 2003. Amanda and Chris were eliminated. The leg started at the Hotel Lajadira in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Teams traveled to the Trampolino Olimpico, where they rode an inflatable snow raft down a hill to receive their next clue.

This clue instructed them to take a train to Venice. Once in Venice, teams had to find their next clue at the Ponte delle Guglie. The episode also involved locations including Calalzo di Cadore or Ponte nelle Alpi for the train journey, as well as Campo Querini Stampalia, Campo San Vio, Palazzo da Mosto, and the Venetian Lagoon aboard the Citta di Padova.

Reception

The first three seasons were well-liked, but season four of The Amazing Race got a more divided reaction. Linda Holmes from Television Without Pity said she enjoyed much of it, but called the finale a letdown. Heather Havrilesky of Salon praised the show as imaginative and well-produced, adding that this year's couples brought more funny disasters and personality conflicts than before. Kareem Gantt of Screen Rant noted that while the cast wasn't especially likeable, the season featured some great locations.

In 2016, the Rob Has a Podcast Amazing Race team ranked it 22nd out of the first 27 seasons. By 2024, Game Rant's Rhenn Taguiam placed it among the bottom 13 of 36 seasons. Despite the mixed reviews, the season won the series its second straight Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Program in 2004.

Did You Know?

• Monica Ambrose and Sheree Buchanan were married to Ashley Ambrose and Ray Buchanan, respectively, who both played for the Atlanta Falcons the season before the television series was filmed.
• Reichen and Chip were never legally married, although they were married in a religious ceremony.
• In 2005, Reichen Lehmkuhl appeared on a 'Reality All-Stars' episode of Fear Factor.