Where is airing: HBO
For what age: 19+
How many episodes in 4 season: 13 episodes
The fourth season premieres, again with twelve teams, this time beginning in LA's Dodger Stadium. To start off, teams are instructed to fly to Venice, Italy. The teams rush off and drive to the LAX airport, trying to land seats on one of three airlines departing and arriving at different times. Once teams reach Venice, teams already start to make enemies with each other. Next, teams travel by one of three charter buses departing two hours apart. Teams are taken to the Dolomite Mountains, in a small town called Cortina D'ampezzo. Teams must proceed to Cinque Torri by bus, which is a mountain. Once there, they follow route markers to their Detour task. All teams choose the "Rescue" of the "Search or Rescue" which is the faster task requiring a bit of hiking, followed by a quick ride on a zipline. "Search" requires keen eyes with careful searching and then a quick snowmobile ride. One team chooses to do the Fast Forward and successfully completes the task allowing them to proceed to the Pit Stop. In the end, one team is unable to get through the Detour task in time and is eliminated from the race.
The teams continue from the pit stop and participate in Italian snow rafting. They then head to Venice, where they are faced with a Detour: Waterway or Pathway. After the Detour, the teams are all bunched togehter by a five P.M. opening for their location, except for Steve and dave, who use the Fast Forward to advance to first place at the pit stop. The teams participate in the Roadblock, which involves trying to match a photo of a mask with one being worn by someone at a party. However, there are many similar masks, so the task proves somewhat difficult. Chris has extreme difficulty with the task and hands the photo of the mask to the incorrect person twice, each time being forced to go to the back of the line. This creates significant difficulty, as only four racers are allowed in at a time. He finally finds the correct person, but it is too late and he and Amanda reach the pit stop last and are eliminated from the race.
The teams travel from Italy to Vienna, Austria. There, horse-riding creates confusion when teams fail to follow a clue that states that you must grab a tag before boarding the horses. A Detour - Mozart or Beethoven creates confusion and tension when teams realize that the Beethoven option wasn't as simple as it sounded. And Steve and Dave, after claiming the Fast Forward the previous week, fall far behind, but a stroke of luck keeps them in the race and Cindy and Russell are eliminated.
The teams start by traveling to France. Transportation confusion with trains and jets causes some teams into the lead to fall behind, while others reach the route marker in France early. There, they're surprised to find themselves faced with a Roadblock rather than a Detour. The Roadblock involves changing the tires on a race car and then doing a lap with a professional driver. All teams succesfully complete the task and then head to the next location, a lighthouse over 500 miles away. However, they find themselves all bunched together by the morning opening hours. Some teams check into a hotel, while others choose to wait by the side of the road. When Tian and Jaree arrive the next morning, after checking into a hotel, they're escorted to a parking spot by police. However, the teams on the side of the road cry foul, thinking that they're cutting in line. In the end, the original line is preserved and the fussing was for nothing. The teams receive a clue taking them to the Georges de Blavet, 93 miles away. There, they encounter this leg's Detour: Ropes or Slopes. In the end, all teams choose Ropes, except for Tian and Jaree, who fall behind and opt for the Fast Forward. The Fast Forward places them in first place. The other teams race for the pit stop and in the end, Steve and Dave, despite being behind most of the leg, once again manage to squeak in. Steve and Josh, however, fall far behind and are eliminated from the race.
The teams travel from France to Amsterdam, Holland. Most teams are able to get flights, but David and Jeff and Steve and Dave have to head to another airport and lose critical time when they are caught in a bad traffic jam. In Amsterdam, teams must go boating to a museum and this leads to massive confusion, particularly for the team of Tian and Jaree. In the Detour, teams must choose between 500 kg or 15 Feet. In 500 kg, they drive 30 miles and then weight out 500 kg of cheese and in 15 ft., they have to drive only 12 miles and search through cow manure for their clue. Most teams go for the cow manure, but a couple of them opt for the cheese. Afterwards, they face a Roadblock in which they must gather 25 live eels. In the end, despite serious fighting between Tian and Jaree, they manage to squeak past Steve and Dave, who, after narrowly escaping elimination in past weeks, are eliminated from the race.
The seven remaining teams flew to Mumbai, India, where they faced culture shock by some of the locals. In Mumbai, teams had to take a bike ride to a movie studio and then search the studio for the clue box. There teams encountered a Detour in which they were given a choice involving either washing clothing or searching through clothing. Many teams faced culture shock as they dealt with crowded trains, which they had to ride to either task. Later on, all teams excelled through the Roadblock which involved heavy fish lifting. Once the task was completed, teams were then told to travel by taxi to the next Pit Stop located at the Gateway of India, an 83 year old monument. Three teams ended up in a tense foot race due to being held up in traffic on the way. In the end, one team was unable to catch up to the others and checked in last place, receiving the bad news of their elimination from Phil.
The six remaining teams began at the Gateway of India and learned that they must travel by train to a place called Ernakulam Junction. After the 24 hour train ride, the teams opened their next clue instructing them to travel an additional 25 miles to the town of Alleppy and find a locally known sports field to find their next clue. Once there, they were faced with a Roadblock that required the person to participate in Bull Racing by holding onto the Bull while traveling at fast speeds. Once completed, the teams made their way through Alleppy to Beach Road in order to find the next route marker. While others fell behind at the Roadblock, the leading teams found the next clue. They were given a Detour involving Baskets or Trunks. Baskets involved chickens and searching while Trunks dealt with loading supplies onto Elephants and then delivering the supplies to a nearby shop. Next, the teams then drove to the next Pit Stop, a waterside spot that traditionally served as a finish line for the town's boat races. After another close finish, one team did not manage to catch up which cost them the race.
At the opening of the episode, Reichen and Chip reveal to the remaining teams that they are a couple and have been married for a year now - it's their one-year anniversary. Reichen discusses how he quit the Air Force so he could be with Chip, Millie and Chuck talk about how they've been together for twelve years and are virgins, and Kelly and Jon say they got engaged right before the race. The teams are given 0 for the leg, which sends them from India to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, over 5,000 miles away. The teams jockey for position to get faster flights, with Jon and Al, Millie and Chuck and David and Jeff ending up at the front of the pack, despite an initial blunder by Reichen and Chip. David and Jeff and Kelly and Jon trail not far behind. The teams finally reach Malaysia, where, after participating in a traditional ceremony of good blessing, they head on to a Detour: Net or Trap. In "Net," the teams have to catch fifteen fish, while in trap, they have to hoist a huge lobster trap in order to get a clue. After completing either task, the teams continue to a nearby island, where they participate in a Roadblock that requires good aim. The first leg involves a bow and arrow, the second, a blowpipe and the final one, a spear. These tasks are a challenge to all teams, but in the end, they all finish fairly close together. Kelly and Jon are the last to arrive, but this leg is the long awaited first of three nonelimination legs and they are safe.
To begin the episode, the teams have to drive 78 miles from their pit stop to a hot springs and cross a rickety bridge to get their clue. All teams arrive in time for the 6:30 A.M. opening and a footrace is on. The teams are then given a clue to drive a 145 miles to an oil plantation. This quickly leads to confusion, with two teams getting lost. Kelly and Jon realize they have no idea where they're going and choose to opt for the Fast Forward. They feel it is a safe bet, as they don't figure it would be to any of the other teams' benefit to go for the Fast Forward. Unbeknownst to them, though, Reichen and Chip have already accidentally headed down the road for the Fast Forward and, once they realize what they've done, they decide to continue down that road to claim it. While this occurs, Jon and Al have made their way to the Detour. Called "Chop / Haul," the teams are given a choice between chopping down fruits to find their clue in an envelope, or hauling 25 heavy bundles of fruit into a marked truck. The catch with the "Chop" option is that only one in four envelopes contain a clue. Jon and Al opt for the "Haul" option. Elsewhere, Millie and Chuck have gotten lost. David and Jeff show up on Jon and Al's heels and have trouble finding the clue. Jon and Al helpfully direct them to it. Jon and Al complete the challenge and find the next clue, which takes them to some caves. Reichen and Chip reach the Fast Forward, which involves feeding pieces of fruit to some orangutans. They have an enjoyable experience and then claim the Fast Forward, which sends them to the pit stop: the Sepilok Nature Resort. Kelly and Jon arrive not long after them and find that the Fast Forward is already taken. They're pretty much certain they're done for, but decide to head back and continue on anyway. Jon and Al and David and Jeff reach the Roadblock, which involves climbing up a steep ladder to retrieve a clue from a basket. Reichen and Chip arrive at the pit stop first, followed by those two teams. This leaves just Millie and Chuck and Kelly and Jon. Due to some poor map-reading on Millie's part, Millie and Chuck fall far behind and end up neck-and-neck at the Roadblock with Jon and Kelly. There, Jon and Chuck race each other to complete the Roadblock, both finishing at about the same time. The two then begin the big race to reach the pit stop. In the end, Kelly and Jon arrive just ahead of Millie and Chuck and hit the mat in fourth place. Millie and Chuck arrive in last and are eliminated, leaving them to contemplate the future status of their relationship.
The teams begin in Borneo, where they receive a clue telling them to head to a temple. There, they have to search for a Buddha figurine that contains the names of the respective members of their teams. All teams complete the task and receive a clue to go to the airport and get to Seoul, South Korea, which is approximately 4,000 miles away. Despite a rule that requires the teams to leave for the airport in vans at one-hour intervals, the teams all end up together at the airport. There, they take a plane that heads to Singapore and then connects to Seoul. Once at Singapore, two teams, David and Jeff and Jon and Al find that a flight heading to Hong Kong will arrive in Seoul one hour earlier. They take this flight and form a sort of alliance, arriving in Seoul first. Once in Seoul, the teams find a clue that takes them to an icy area close to the South Korean border. This creates confusion, with David and Jeff getting lost and having a harrowing experience when their taxi driver takes them past where they should be and are surrounded by military vehicles. Meanwhile, Reichen and Chip benefit from an excellent taxi driver and arrive first, despite not even being on the earlier flight. The rest of the teams arrive shortly after. The task is a Roadblock, requiring one team member to dive into icy water swimming to a hole at the other end. Once they're out, they'll then have to wait for their body temperature to warm up before they can get the clue. The teams complete the task in order and then receive a clue to head back to Seoul and find Subway Station 228. The traffic is heavy and some teams to choose to ditch their taxis and opt for the subway instead. Kelly and Jon get into a heated argument over this, but still manage to get to the clue first. It's a detour, "Strong Hands" or "Strong Stomachs." In "Strong Hands," the teams have to head to a location to learn tae kwon do and then have each team member break three sets of wooden boards. The location isn't quite nearby and the task could be physically demanding, but if they learn well, they could finish quickly. "Strong Stomachs" requires each team member eating a full plate of live octopus. It's right nearby and not physically demanding, but it'll only be as fast as they can eat, if they even can at all. Jon and Kelly opt for the karate, whereas Chip and Reichen, who arrive soon afterwards, go for the octopus. Jon breezes through the boards, but Kelly has a bit of a difficult time. Still, they manage to complete the task rather quickly. Reichen and Chip have a more difficult time with the octopus, but still manage to use their mental shugs to consume it all and head onwards. As those two teams head for the pit stop, Jon and Al and David and Jeff lag behind. Jon and Al choose the boards and complete the task quickly. David and Jeff initially go for the octopus, but find themselves on the verge of vomiting. They switch to the boards and complete that task quickly. In the end, Kelly and Jon find themselves in first place, after a couple of previous poor finishes. David and Jeff come in last, but remain in the race, as this is the second of three nonelimination legs.
The teams begin at their Pit Stop in Seoul, South Korea and receive a clue that takes them to a task that involves traditional South Korean kites. Phil helpfully narrates that one of the teams will be eliminated in this leg. The teams all complete the kite task, although some have more difficulty than others. The clue they receive tells them to make their way to Brisbane, Australia, over 7,000 miles away. All teams pull even when they find out the airport doesn't open until 6:00 A.M. However, believing they are in last place, David and Jeff consider the Fast Forward. At the airport, the teams find a number of options for flights. Kelly and Jon, David and Jeff and Reichen and Chip all end up on the same flight together, but Jon and Al chose a different flight and it gets delayed by fog, forcing it to take off after every other flight in the line. Jon and Al try to beg their way onto the other flight, but are told that due to security reasons, it can't accept passengers at the last minute. Jon and Al finally find a direct flight to Australia and hope that something happens to delay the other flight. They perform clown tricks to relieve their stress in the meantime. In Australia, David and Jeff immediately head for the Fast Forward, while Reichen and Chip and Kelly and Jon head for the next clue. It's a Detour: Face First or Feet First. Face First involves rappelling down a high-rise building. It's fast, but could prove very scary. In Feet First, they must spot a clue on a nearby building and then walk to it. The task is not scary, but since it may include walking all the way to the top of the lofty building, it could take a long time and would prove to be exhausting. Both teams opt for Face First, although Kelly is worried because she broke her hand in the previous leg's Detour. As both teams work to complete the task, Jon and Al are just leaving South Korea. David and Jeff arrive at the Fast Forward, which involves rescuing a "drowning victim" and then bringing her back to the beach. It's more difficult than they thought, as they face strong waves and the woman they're trying to rescue is heavy. Back at the Detour, Kelly is having second thoughts about rappelling the building. Chip and Jon have already done it, so now it's time for her and Reichen to go. Kelly ends up getting stuck and panics. She finally works her way down and eventually Jon is able to reach her and lower her to safety. Both teams must now take a marked car to a place called UnderWater World, 43 miles away. David and Jeff finally claim the Fast Forward, which tells them to go to the Mooloolaba Yacht Club, the next Pit Stop. Jon and Al finally arrive at the Detour and choose Face First. At the aquarium, the teams face a Roadblock, "just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water." One member from each team will have to walk through an aquarium tank to get a clue. The catch is that the tank is teeming with marine life, including over one hundred sharks. Jon handles the task with relative calmness, but Reichen is rather scared. Still, he makes slow progress and he completes the task, not long after Jon does. The clue they receive directs them to walk to the Pit Stop. The last team to check in will be eliminated. Kelly and Jon, seeing that the clue specifies transportation by foot, make a break for the Pit Stop. Reichen and Chip, however, looking for an advantage, decide that they had best drive. David and Jeff are the first team at the Pit Stop, having claimed the Fast Forward. Phil congratulates them, saying that they're in the final three and they've also won a vacation. Reichen and Chip hit the mat and are told that they're the second team to arrive... However, they chose to drive to the Pit Stop instead of walk. They've been assessed a five minute penalty for the time they gained, in addition to the mandatory 30 minute minimum penalty. They'll have to wait at the Pit Stop and see if both of the remaining two teams arrive within 35 minutes. Kelly and Jon arrive third, within time to actually place second. Jon and Al complete the underwater tank challenge and head for the Pit Stop. They arrive last and are informed that although Reichen and Chip received a 35 minute time penalty, it's not enough. They're both eliminated from the race.
At the Pit Stop in Australia, the teams receive a clue telling them to drive 80 miles to Australian woolshed. There, they'll receive further instructions on how to receive their next clue. They're given only for this leg of the race. David and Jeff reflect at the beginning of the race reflect on how their being analytical gives them an edge, while Kelly and Jon note that they've been saving up money. When the teams arrive at the woolshed, they find that it does not open until 6:00 A.M and therefore, they're all going to be grouped together. Once the woolshed opens, they all race in and find that they each have to search through a giant pile of wool for the clue. Kelly and Jon are the first to find the clue, which directs them to the airport. They have to fly 1,000 miles to Cairns. Chip and Reichen find the clue second and David and Jeff, despite having some difficulties at first, soon find the clue buried in some wool they had already looked through. The teams all catch a 7:45 flight at the airport and after landing, head for a place called Wild World. When they get there, their clue tells them to grab a Kodak Easyshare Digital Camera and have one team member feed a fish to an alligator, while the other team member snaps a picture. Kelly and Jon are first, but Jon forgets to grab a camera and so they lose their place. Therefore, David and Jeff get ahead, followed by Chip and Reichen. Once they've taken the picture, they have to head to a souvenir shop to develop it. David and Jeff and Kelly and Jon complete this quickly, but Reichen and Chiop have trouble. The clue tells everyone to travel fifteen miles to Wangetti Beach. There, they face a Detour, Saddle or Paddle. Saddle requires that they saddle up a horse and explore up to a mile and a half of shoreline looking for a flag, which will then have a set of clue envelopes within a 25 foot radius. The catch is that only one set of clue envelopes is real. There are several fakes with simply instruct the teams to try again. The other option is Paddle. They have a blowup a kayak and then paddle to an orange buoy with the clue. It's physically exhausting, but the clue will be easy to find. All teams choose the Saddle option, although some fare better than others. David and Jeff find the right direction almost right away, while Reichen and Chip get lost and Kelly and Jon are late in finding the beach. Still, all teams eventualy receive the clue, which tells them to drive to Julatin, 35 miles away and look for a place called Offroad Rush, an adventure sports company. David and Jeff are the first there and it's a Roadblock. They complete the task, which involves driving a buggy through a seven mile course, quickly and receive a clue directing them to the Pit Stop. They finish just as Reichen and Chip arrive. Chip wrecks a portion of the course when driving and they have to get a new car out to him. Last to arrive are Kelly and Jon. Although it's Kelly's turn to do the Roadblock, Jon really wants to and so Kelly gives in. Jon ends up flipping the car over and panicking Kelly, but he turns out to be okay. In the end, David and Jeff have a solid lead arriving at the Pit Stop. Reichen and Chip finish about twenty minutes behind and Kelly and Jon are last going into the final leg.
The teams begin at their Pit Stop in Ellis Beach, Australia. It's the twelfth and final pit stop in this race around the world. The first team to depart is David and Jeff, followed by Reichen and Chip and then Kelly and Jon. The clue tells them to drive to an Aboriginal Cultural Park. Like the previous leg, they have one dollar for this leg of the race. The teams all arrive at the cultural park, which doesn't open until 6:00 A.M. At that time, they all head in and watch a traditional ceremony. Afterwards, they receive a clue telling them to drive fifteen miles to the general aviation terminal at the airport in Cairnes. The teams all get into a driving race to get there and Reichen and Chip end up going so fast that their vehicles spins off the road. Still, they're okay and they all reach the clue at the general aviation terminal. It's a Detour: "Wing It" or "Wander It." In "Wing It," the teams must skydive out of a plane to their clue, with the help of an instructor. In "Wander It," they have to drive to mangrove forst and then boat to the skydive landing zone. All teams choose the fast "Wing It" option. They all complete the task in the order in which they arrived: David and Jeff, Kelly and Jon, and Reichen and Chip and then receive a clue telling them to fly the island of Hawaii, a.k.a. "Big Island," 4,700 miles away. They head to the airport, where David and Jeff opt for a flight to Sydney, while the other two teams choose a flight to Tokyo that will then connect them to Hawaii. Once in Sydney, David and Jeff have major problems. They find they've missed all of the major flights they can catch to Hawaii and are in serious jeopardy. This is the last we see of them until the very end of the episode. Meanwhile, Kelly and Jon and Reichen and Chip both arrive in Tokyo. Reichen and Chip catch the connecting flight to Hawaii, but Kelly and Jon just miss it, despite the help of a friendly airport employee. Even better for Reichen and Chip, they're seated in business class due to the hurry, even thought they only paid for economy class. Kelly and Jon end up on a flight an hour and ten minutes behind. Reichen and Chip arrive in Hawaii, where they receive a clue directing them to drive to the southernmost point in the United States, Kaulana Bay. They get stuck in traffic and Kelly and Jon's flight is shown arriving. Still, Reichen and Chip arrive first and face a Roadblock. Chip chooses to do the Roadblock, which involves swimming out to a tiki head, diving down and grabbing a head and then bringing it back to the beach and chiseling it to receive the next clue. Chip has a lot of trouble with the rock, but eventually complete it and he and Reichen receive a clue stating to head to Hawaii's Volcano National Park and find the next route marker. Kelly and Jon arrive some time afterward and complete the task. Both teams eventually arrive at the Volcano National Park, where they receive a clue directing them to Phoenix, Arizona, where they must find the U.S.S. Arizona Anchor Monument. They take flights on opposite sides of Hawaii to Hawaii's International Airport. There, Reichen and Chip get seats on the very front of the flight to Arizona. Both teams search for information so they'll know exactly where to find the anchor once in Arizona. In Arizona, Reichen and Chip get the first taxi and are the first team to the anchor. There, they receive a clue directing them to the Southeast Entrance of Sundevil Stadium. Once there, they find a clue, "Happy Valentine's Day + White + White." After some confusion, they put it together and figure out that "Happy Valentine's Day" means Section 214, while one of the "Whites" is 33, while the other is 11. These are the jersey numbers of actual people with the last name "White" who played for the team. The clue directs them to the finish line, Papago Park. Just as they're leaving, Kelly and Jon arrive. They solve the puzzle quickly and now the two teams are racing to the finish line. Reichen and Chip arrive first and take the specified bike path to the finish line. They are the winners of this edition of The Amazing Race. Kelly and Jon arrive not far behind in second. David and Jeff end up in Hawaii, where they receive a clue stating that Reichen and Chip have already crossed the finish line and that Kelly and Jon came in second.
