| The Amazing Race 13 | |
![]() |
|
| Season run | September 28, 2008 – December 7, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Filming dates | April 22, 2008 – May 14, 2008 |
| No. of episodes | 11 |
| Winning team | Nick & Starr |
| Continents visited | 5 |
| Countries visited | 8 |
| Cities visited | 18 |
| Distance traveled | 40,000 miles (64,372 kilometres) |
| No. of legs | 11 |
| Season chronology | |
| Previous | The Amazing Race 12 |
| Next | The Amazing Race 14 |
The Amazing Race 13 was the 13th installment of the reality television competition series The Amazing Race. It featured 11 teams of two, each with a preexisting relationship, in a race around the world.
The 13th season was part of the fall line-up for 2008-09 season and premiered Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT starting on September 28, 2008 and the season finale aired on December 7, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.[1][2]
Siblings Nick & Starr were the winners of the Race.
CBS had originally planned to only air one installment of The Amazing Race (Season 12) in the 2007-08 season, but due to the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, CBS ordered a 13th installment as a replacement for programs affected by the strike.[3] CBS greenlit the 13th installment on December 9, 2007.[4] Race locations were scouted in January 2008 and filming took place between April and May 2008.[5][6][7]
Filming for the The Amazing Race 13 lasted for 23 days and covered nearly 40,000 miles. The season spanned eight countries in five continents, and visited some far-flung locales never before seen on the show, including Bolivia, Cambodia, and Kazakhstan. Brazil, New Zealand, India, and Russia were also listed as race destinations.[8][9][10] This is only the second Race to circumnavigate the world westward (The Amazing Race 10 was the first).
This was the first Race in which an eliminated team was absent from the Finish Line to cheer on the final 3 teams, as Dallas (of Toni & Dallas) had misplaced his passport and the team's money in Russia on the penultimate leg.[11] This had been hinted at in promotional materials aired before the Race began, where CBS revealed that one team made "an unprecedented mistake that ultimately prohibit[ed] them from joining their fellow Racers at the finish line."[12] In a post-Race interview, Dallas revealed that the loss of the passport and money was partly caused by the changing of a microphone battery by production. The passport was eventually turned in to the U.S. Embassy in Russia, but it was still too late for him and his mother to join their fellow racers at the finish line.[11] Starr revealed in a post-race interview that Toni and Dallas joined the other racers in Portland, Oregon at a party the night following the end of the race.[13]
Post-race interviews revealed that Starr and Dallas – who competed on opposing teams – have been long-distance dating for six months since the show completed taping.[11][13]
Andrew & Dan stated in a post-race interview that the second U-Turn was available on Leg 9 but it was not used by any teams, thus it was not aired in the show.[14]
Applications for The Amazing Race 13 were due on November 27, 2007. Semi-finalist interviews were held in December 2007 and January 2008 and final casting interviews took place in February 2008, in Los Angeles, California.
The cast featured a pair of fraternity brothers, a team of married hippies, buisnesswomen divorcees and a retired NFL player hoping to reconnect with his estranged wife while on the Race.[9]
The show also featured John Keoghan, host Phil Keoghan's father, as the local greeter at Te Puke in Keoghan's native New Zealand.[15]
CBS heavily promoted the new season, including placing advertising on the top of three hangar buildings at Los Angeles International Airport prior to the premiere.[16] Unlike other seasons, CBS provided a location map to viewers of where the Race would be traveling prior to the start of the season.[17]
The following teams participated in the Race, with their relationships at the time of filming. Note that this table is not necessarily reflective of all content broadcasted on television due to inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order:
| Team | Relationship | Position (by leg) | Roadblocks performed | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3«» | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9«» | 10 | 11 | |||
| Nick & Starr | Brother / Sister | 1st | 6th | 6th | 5th2 | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1stƒ | 3rd | 1st | 1st | Nick 5, Starr 3 |
| Ken & Tina | Separated | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1stƒ | 3th | 6th | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd5 | 2nd | Ken 4, Tina 4 |
| Andrew & Dan | Frat Boys | 7th | 8th | 7th | 6th | 6th | 5th | 5th | 4th4 | 4th | 2nd | 3rd | Andrew 6, Dan 3 |
| Toni & Dallas | Mother / Son | 6th | 5th | 2nd | 4th | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 4th6 | Toni 4, Dallas 5 | |
| Terence & Sarah | Newly Dating | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 5rd3 | 4th | 3rd | 5th | Terence 3, Sarah 4 | |||
| Kelly & Christy | Divorcees | 5th | 7th | 8th | 3rd | 4th | 2nd | 6th | Kelly 3, Christy 3 | ||||
| Aja & Ty | Dating Long Distance | 8th | 4th | 5th | 7th | 7th | Aja 2, Ty 2 | ||||||
| Marisa & Brooke | Southern Belles | 10th | 9th | 4th | 8th | Marisa 2, Brooke 1 | |||||||
| Mark & Bill | Best Friends | 4th | 2nd | 9th1 | Mark 1, Bill 1 | ||||||||
| Anthony & Stephanie | Dating | 9th | 10th | Anthony 1, Stephanie 0 | |||||||||
| Anita & Arthur | Married Beekeepers | 11th | Anita 0, Arthur 0 | ||||||||||
Note 1: Mark & Bill initially arrived 8th, but were issued a 30 minute penalty for taking a taxi instead of going on foot during the Detour. During this time, Kelly & Christy – the only team trailing them at that point – were able to check in and Mark & Bill were eliminated before the 30 minutes elapsed.
Note 2: Nick & Starr initially arrived 5th at the Pit Stop, but were penalized for speeding. A 30-minute penalty was being issued at the Pit Stop. This did not affect their placement. (unaired)
Note 3: Terence & Sarah initially arrived 3rd, but were penalized for speeding. A 30-minute penalty was being issued at the start of the following leg, dropping their placement to 5th.
Note 4: Andrew & Dan initially arrived 4th, but took a taxi to the Pit Stop instead of going on foot. They were asked to go back to the end of the Detour and walk back to the Pit Stop. This did not affect their placement.
Note 5: Ken & Tina initally arrived 3rd, but had missed the clue directing them to the Pit Stop, having arrived there by chance while searching for the clue. They were asked to go back and retrieve their missed clue at the end of the Detour and return to the Pit Stop. This did not affect their placement.
Note 6: Toni & Dallas were initially denied their clue at the Detour starting point for taking the Metro instead of a taxi, and were required to go back to the end of the Roadblock and return to the Detour starting point via taxi. After all the other teams had checked in at the Pit Stop, Phil eliminated them while they were still performing the Detour.
Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.[18]
The prize for each leg is awarded to the first place team for that leg. All trips are sponsored by Travelocity.
The first five teams eliminated were sequestered at a villa in Acapulco, Mexico to await the finale. Subsequent eliminated teams telephoned the villa to inform the teams at the villa of their elimination, but continued to run the race as decoys to throw off spoilers to the final outcome of the race. The sequestered teams met up with the decoy teams in the final destination city to cheer on the final three teams as they crossed the Finish Line, with the exception of Toni & Dallas, who were still stuck in Russia after their elimination due to the loss of Dallas' passport.
CBS posted short videos on its website after each episode aired in the Pacific Time Zone to show the eliminated teams interacting at the villa.
The Detour was a choice between Hard Way Up or Soft Way Down. In Hard Way Up, teams emulated a religious ceremony by climbing the Escadaria do Passo on their hands and knees. At the top, teams were asked a mystery question (How many stairs have you climbed?). Teams would receive their next clue by answering correctly; if they answered incorrectly, they had to climb the staircase again. The correct answer was 53. In Soft Way Down, teams had to go to the top of the Elevador Lacerda (Portuguese) (an outdoor elevator) and climb down a 240-foot-tall cargo net.
The Detour was a choice between Beach It or Docket. In Beach It, teams had to travel to Pecém Beach and move a traditional Brazilian sailboat known as a jangada into an inlet by using logs to roll it. They would be given their next clue. In Docket, teams had to travel to nearby Porto do Pecém (Portuguese) and search in a computer database for a specific ID number for a shipping container and then find the container to get their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member must find the name of their next destination on an advertisement painted on the wall of the park.
The Detour was a choice between Musical March or Bumpy Ride. In Musical March, team had to make their way on foot to plazas (Plaza del Estudiante, Plaza Bolivia and Plaza Isabela la Católica) several blocks apart where they needed to gather and lead a marching band through the city to a band leader. Then they had to make their way to Plaza Abaroa and exchange the band members for their next clue. In Bumpy Ride, teams had to make their way on foot to Mercado de las Brujas where they had to ride a traditional wooden bicycle down in a harrowing, bone rattling trip down cobblestone streets to Plaza Abaroa to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to learn six wrestling moves from luchadoras called the Fighting Cholitas (cholitas luchadoras). After performing these moves in the ring, they were given their next clue. If they fail at performing the move, they have to go back and train with the Fighting Cholita again before returning to the ring.
The Fast Forward required a team to climb the mast of the Sky Tower to retrieve a Travelocity Roaming Gnome from the top of the tower. Once completed, the team would win the Fast Forward and received a helicopter ride to the Pit Stop. For this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to correctly match a tattoo on a Māori warrior's face with one depicted in their clue. The Detour was Matter of Time or Matter of Skill. In Matter of Time, teams had to use their feet to crush a vat of kiwifruit to produce 12 quarts of juice, and each member had to drink a glass upon completion. In Matter of Skill, teams had to assemble two Blokarts, and each member had to complete three laps around a track.
The Detour was a choice between Village Life or Village Work. In Village Life, teams had to retrieve a set of toy teeth from a dentist, a doll from a tailor, and a basketball from a floating basketball court all on Tonlé Sap. Each team member had to score a basket before returning all the items they had collected to the Siem Reap Harbor. In Village Work, teams had to go into Tonlé Sap and retrieve two full baskets of fish and return them to the Siem Reap Harbor on Tonlé Sap. In this leg's Roadblock, teams had to go into Angkor Wat and find an Echo Chamber where they had to beat their chest to hear the echo. They could then pick up a stone frieze displaying their next clue on the reverse.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to repaint black portions of a tuk tuk green, to show that the tuk tuks had switched to using natural gas as fuel. To paint it green, the team member had to cover up all of the glass and wheels of the tuk tuk before spray painting. The Detour for this leg of the race was a choice between Launder Money or Launder Clothes. In Launder Money, teams had to make a traditional Indian wedding necklace by stapling ten rupee notes to the necklace that added up to Rs780, and then they have to find their way to find the newlywed couple in the banquet hall under the chaotic crowds and present them the traditional necklace to receive their next clue. In Launder Clothes, teams had to use a traditional charcoal iron to press 20 pieces of clothing in order to receive their next clue from a laundry woman.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to find an envelope marked "The Amazing Race" among several marked "Try Again" raised on ladders amongst celebrators of Holi, the Festival of Colours. The Detour for this leg of the race was a choice between Bleary Eyed and Teary Eyed. In Bleary Eyed, teams had to follow a series of power lines, keeping mark of the numbered tags hanging from the power lines in Nai Sarak Street. They then report these numbers to a power official and plug in a musical Ganesh statue to receive their next clue in New India Stationers in Chawri Bazar. In Teary Eyed, teams had to find Ram Bhandar in a spice market and transport 40-pound (18 kg) bags of chili peppers to a location a quarter of a mile away in Shwan Kumar and Sons and then grind them into chili powder with a mortar and pestle to receive their next clue. This leg's Speed Bump task required Ken & Tina to serve holy water to hundreds of Sikhs at the Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib (at the site in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi) until they satisfied the waiting crowd.
The Roadblock required one team member from each team to search among 30,000 chickens for one of seven golden eggs. The last Fast Forward on this race had teams travel to a restaurant and eat Korduk, a local Kazakh delicacy, which includes fat from the rear end of a sheep, when they finished, that team would win the Fast Forward. The Detour was a choice between Play Like Mad or Act Like Fools. In Play Like Mad, teams had travel to the State Museum of National Musical Instruments and learn to play a traditional folk tune on the dombra and the shang-kobuz which they then play for locals and earn tips totalling 200 tenge (about the equivalent of $1.50) in a park to receive their next clue. In Act Like Fools, teams had to put on a two-person cow costume at the Almaty State Puppet Theater and travel across town to a milk stand and drink an entire glass of milk. At the bottom of the glass was the name of their next destination - the Zelyony Bazar (Green Market); they should receive their next clue in the meat section there. They then had to bring either the dombra or the cow costume head with them to the Pit Stop.
In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Boots or Borscht. In Boots, teams had to learn a Russian marching routine and perform the routine perfectly along with a drill team to receive their next clue. In Borscht, teams had to serve 75 soldiers a bowl of borscht each to receive their next clue. In both tasks teams had to dress in a Russian military uniform. In this leg's Roadblock, teams had to carry fifty 55-pound (25 kg) bags of flour into the bakery and lay them down on the floor to receive their next clue from the baker.
The Roadblock was to count the number of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin statues in the park, then proceed to an antique book shop named Bukinist in Arbat Street. The numbers of Lenin and Stalin statues were to be the tens and ones digits, respectively, of a number that they then had to tell the bookstore manager; if incorrect, a 10 minute penalty would be assessed before another guess could be made. If correct, the team member would receive a copy of The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, and flip to the page of the correct answer (62) to find a clue about their next destination - Bulgakov's old flat - where their teammate and next clue would be waiting. The Detour was a choice between Ride the Rails or Ride the Lines. In Ride the Rails, teams had to travel by the Moscow Metro from Sokolniki to Ulitsa 1905 Goda where they could pick up a samosa from a marked snack stand. The wrapper directed them to go to Kitay-Gorod and give the samsa to a babushka near the statue of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Slavyanskaya Square. In Ride the Lines, teams had to travel by trolleybus from Sokolniki to Krasnoselskaya Station to find a key maker who would give them a key. The keytag directed them to Rizhskaya Station where their key would open up a locker. At the end of both Detours, teams received a photo of the VDNKh Metro Station and were told to search the grounds of the station to find their next clue. This leg's Speed Bump task that requires Andrew & Dan to learn, and then perform a traditional Russian dance to the satisfaction of the choreographer.
In this Detour, teams chose from either High & Dry or Low & Wet. In High & Dry, teams had to climb up a tree to a certain height where they had to balance themselves on a log which they moved to the end of to jump and each grab a half of their next clue. In Low & Wet, teams had to make their way on foot on logs floating on the river, a distance of 800 feet and retrieve the clue from an island.
| Order | Episode | Rating | Share | Rating/Share (18-49) |
Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Bees are Much Calmer Than All This" | 6.0 | 9 | 3.2/7[19] | 10.29 |
| 2 | "Do You Like American Candy?" | 6.6 | 10 | 3.2/7 | 10.78 |
| 3 | "Did You Push My Sports Bra Off the Ledge?" | 5.6 | 9 | 2.8/7 | 9.17 |
| 4 | "I Wonder if They Like Blondes in New Zealand" | 5.8 | 9 | 3.0/7 | 9.67 |
| 5 | "Do It Like a Madman" | 5.8 | 9 | 2.9/7 | 9.71 |
| 6 | "Please Hold While I Singe My Skull" | 5.9 | 9 | 2.8/7 | 9.76 |
| 7 | "My Nose is On Fire" | 7.1 | 11 | 3.3/8 | 11.68 |
| 8 | "I’m Like an Angry Cow" | 7.3 | 11 | 3.4/8 | 12.25 |
| 9 | "That is Studly" | 6.0 | 9 | 2.7/6 | 10.13 |
| 10 | "You’re Gonna Get Me Killed" | 7.1 | 10 | 3.6/8 | 11.60 |
| 11 | You Look Like Peter Pan" | 6.2 | 9 | 3.1/7 | 10.57 |
| # | Viewers (millions) |
Rank (Overall) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.89 | #8[20] |
| 2 | 1.84 | #5 |
| 3 | 1.48 | #11 |
| 4 | 1.67 | #7 |
| 5 | 1.74 | #10 |
| 6 | 1.70 | #8 |
| 7 | 1.85 | #8 |
| 8 | 1.67 | #11 |
| 9 | 1.72 | #9 |
| 10 | 1.86 | #9 |
| 11 | 2.14 | #3 |
|
|||||||||||
|
|