The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel 1

Did You Know?

• The cast included the first team in franchise history composed of a godfather and a godson.
• The cast included a homosexual dating couple and a team of non-identical twins.
• Teams came from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela.

Production

The first season of The Amazing Race en Discovery Channel was approved by the network in November 2008. The race took 23 days to film and stretched across nearly 14,600 kilometers through nine countries on two continents. It marked the first time any international version of the show visited North America. Seven of the countries had already appeared in the original U.S. version, while Colombia and the Dominican Republic were new to the franchise; Colombia would later be featured in the American show’s 28th season in 2016. Blue and black were used for route markers, clue envelopes, and Pit Stops, and the opening credits displayed each team’s home country. Only two Mexican teams, Casilda & Casilda and Guillermo & Gabriel, reached the Finish Line in Mexico City. Applications were open from November 17, 2008, to January 31, 2009. Sponsors included Visa, Palm Treo Pro, and Nintendo.

Results

Placements are listed in finishing order per leg. A dagger indicates elimination; a double-dagger indicates last arrival at a non-elimination leg requiring a Speed Bump. An italicized placement shows the midpoint of a double leg. Symbols denote Fast Forward wins, Yield usage, and U-Turn usage. Notes accompany the table.

Prizes

Leg 1 awarded a $200 Visa credit card per team member. Leg 2 also gave $200 Visa cards. Leg 3 gave $300 Visa cards. Leg 4 added a Nintendo DSi per member to the $300 Visa card. Leg 5 gave $300 Visa cards and a Wii per member. Leg 6 gave $400 Visa cards and a Palm Treo Pro per member. Leg 7 gave $400 Visa cards and a Wii per member. Leg 8 gave $500 Visa cards and a Palm Treo Pro per member. Leg 9 gave $600 Visa cards and a Nintendo DSi per member. Leg 10 gave $800 Visa cards and a Palm Treo Pro per member. Leg 11 gave $1000 Visa cards, a Palm Treo Pro per member, and a 7-night stay at The Fairmont Mayakoba Hotel & Spa in Riviera Maya with a spa treatment. Leg 12's midpoint prize was two Mexicana Airlines tickets and 7 nights in Yucatán. The finish line prize was $250,000.

Race summary

The race began on September 20, 2009, at Iguaçu National Park in Brazil. Teams biked from Garganta do Diabo Falls to Mirante 2, then rappelled down Cânion Iguaçu and rafted 4 km to Puerto Macuco. At Foz do Iguaçu International Airport, they signed up for one of two flights to Porto Alegre, with a ten-hour gap between departures. In Gramado, the Detour offered a choice between Flores (paddling a swan boat across Lago Negro for a flower basket) or Árbol (searching the Aldeia Do Papai Noel's Árvore dos Desejos for a named wooden block).

At Mini Mundo, teams matched five character pictures to five location pictures. The second leg, aired September 27, eliminated Nora & Ariel. It started at Hotel Ritta Höppner in Gramado, then went to Estádio Olímpico Monumental in Porto Alegre, flew to Buenos Aires, visited the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, the Centro de Entrenamiento Jockey Club in San Isidro, and ended at the Buenos Aires Zoo.