The Amazing Race 8

The Amazing Race 8: Family Edition
Season run September 27 – December 13, 2005
Filming dates July 7 – July 31, 2005
No. of episodes 11
Winning team Nick, Alex, Megan & Tommy Linz
Continents visited 1
Countries visited 4
States visited 12
Cities visited 50
Distance traveled 11,000 miles (18,000 km)
No. of legs 11
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 7
Next →
Season 9

The Amazing Race 8 (also known as The Amazing Race: Family Edition) is the eighth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. As opposed to previous installments of The Amazing Race, which featured pairs of adults with a pre-existing relationship, The Amazing Race 8 featured ten families of four and allowed the participation of minors as young as eight years old. The Race returned to the original teams of two adults for The Amazing Race 9. Filming ran from July 7, 2005, to July 31, 2005. The show premiered on Tuesday, September 27, 2005, and concluded on Tuesday, December 13, 2005.

Siblings Nick, Alex, Megan, and Tommy Linz were the winners of this Race. This is the last of four consecutive seasons in which the winning teams consisted of at least one man and one woman. At 19 and 21 years of age respectively, Tommy and Megan became the youngest male and female to win the Race (Starr Spangler of Season 13 later equaled Megan's record).

A DVD set of this season was released on October 23, 2012, via Amazon.com's CreateSpace program.

Production

Development and filming

The starting line of The Amazing Race: Family Edition was at Empire – Fulton Ferry State Park close to Brooklyn Bridge in New York City

The eighth season of The Amazing Race spanned 11,000 miles (18,000 km). In addition to featuring easier challenges, the race placed less emphasis on international travel as numerous legs were contained within the continental United States, and all race locations were inside North America. The new countries of the race were Panama and Costa Rica. Filming took place on July 7–31, 2005.

Route markers were colored yellow and white with black lining, similar to the yellow and white route markers of Season one (and in contrast to the yellow and red markers used in all other seasons). As with Season seven, the winners of the race were revealed in an online betting scandal before the airing of the final episode.

For this race, the supplied credit card covered not only airfare but also gasoline. Previously, gasoline had to be purchased with the supplied cash. The rule change was made necessary by the fact that most of the transportation takes place in cars rather than airplanes.

The limits on individual roadblock attempts, found in Season six and seven, did not apply to this season. Furthermore, some roadblocks in this edition required the participation of two team members. Also, for the first time since Season five, a mid-race leg (4) was aired without a roadblock.

During leg one, Renee Rogers fell at the starting line and suffered a concussion. The Rogers family did not realize the severity of the injury until they had gone to a hospital after being eliminated from the race the next leg.[1]

At the end of leg four, the Schroeder family was eliminated in New Orleans, their hometown. One month after the end of the race, their home was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. They evacuated their New Orleans home due to Hurricane Katrina and stayed with the Rogers family in Shreveport, Louisiana for a short period of time. Denny Rogers even supplied a truck to help the Schroeders evacuate the flood-ravaged area. The Schroeder home was seriously damaged and was being rebuilt at the time of the show's airing.[2]

During leg six, at Poás Volcano, the clue envelope appeared to contain fast forward instructions; however, this was not mentioned or described, perhaps because no team took advantage, or because plans for the task fell through. The fast forward in leg five was introduced as the only one in the race when the show was televised. An online source claims that the task was simply not used, and all references were excised.[3]

According to an interview with Wally Bransen on RFFRadio, Hurricane Emily forced producers to cancel a leg in Belize. Teams had an extra day off in Costa Rica after leg six.

After the Linz family were named the official winners, it was revealed that the Bransen and Weaver Families would compete in the "Final Amazing Challenge". The two families would race back and forth between the last roadblock of the race (a map of North and Central America) and a set of 12 clue boxes, each of which contained an icon representing something the families did on the race. The object of the challenge was to race (as a family) out to the clue boxes, get the icons one at a time, and then place them on the appropriate place on the map. Whichever team finished this challenge first would win a new GMC Yukon XL, the same vehicle that had been used on the race. The Bransen family won the challenge and vehicle.

In an RFF Radio podcast interview with Wally Bransen, he said that the Linz's beat them to the finish mat by one or two minutes in the final leg, making it the third closest finish ever. The Weavers finished in third place an "hour or two" later.

Cast

In March 2005, host Phil Keoghan toured major cities in the United States (Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Los Angeles) to scout contestants for the race. Final casting interviews took place in Las Vegas.

The full list of families participated the race (with their relationships), listed in alphabetical order:

Kevin and Drew from season 1 made a cameo appearance during the first leg of the race, handing out clues to teams in New York at a frank stand.

Linda Weaver's husband, Roy, was killed in an accident when he was run over by a race car at Daytona International Speedway in 2004. She reluctantly participated in two challenges directly related to racing. One was a go-kart race in Arizona, and the other involved traveling around Talladega Superspeedway in a bicycle.

Billy and Carissa Gaghan wrote introductions for "My Ox is Broken", a book about the Amazing Race.[4]

Stassi Schroeder later appeared in Oxygen reality series Queen Bees and later finished 7th place.[5] Schroeder later appeared on Bravo reality series Vanderpump Rules as a part of that cast.

Renee Rogers died on November 24, 2013, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, at the age of 51.[6]

This is one of the three seasons that was not represented in The Amazing Race: All-Stars.

Results

The following teams participated in the Race, each listed along with their placements in each leg and relationships as identified by the program. Note that this table is not necessarily reflective of all content broadcast on television, owing to the inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order:

Family Relationship Position (by leg) Roadblocks performed
<1> 2 3 41 5 6 7 8 9 102 112
Linz Family Siblings 9th 2nd 2nd 3rd 4th 2nd 3rd 2nd 1st> 3rd 2nd 2nd 1st Nick 5, Alex 4, Megan 2, Tommy 4
Bransen Family Dad and Daughters 7th 6th 1st 1st 3rd 3rd 5th 4th 2nd 1st 1st 1st 2nd4 Wally 4, Beth 5, Lauren 4, Lindsay 2
Weaver Family Widow and Kids 3rd 1st 5th 5th 2nd 5th< 2nd 3rd 4th< 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd Linda 2, Rebecca 33, Rachel 2, Rolly 7
Godlewski Family Sisters 1st 3rd 4th 4th 6th 4th 1st 1st 3rd 4th 4th Michelle 4, Sharon 5, Christine 2, Tricia 2
Paolo Family Dad, Mom and Kids 6th 8th 6th 2nd 1stƒ 1st> 4th 5th Tony 1, Marion 1, DJ 3, Brian 2
Gaghan Family Dad, Mom and Kids 2nd 7th 7th 6th 5th 6th Bill 2, Tammy 2, Billy 1, Carissa 1
Schroeder Family Dad, Step-Mom and Kids 5th 4th 3rd 7th Mark 2, Char 0, Stassi 1, Hunter 1
Aiello Family Father and Sons-in-Law 8th 5th 8th Tony 0, Kevin 0, Matt 1, David 2
Rogers Family Dad, Mom and Kids 4th 9th Denny 0, Renee 0, Brittney 1, Brock 0
Black Family Dad, Mom and Kids 10th Reggie 0, Kim 0, Kenneth 0, Austin 0
  1. ^ An additional task in Leg 4 was presented to teams as a Roadblock but was aired as a miscellaneous task. This task is included in the roadblock tally, though, because every team was shown having a particular member performing it.
  2. ^ Legs 10 and 11 were a double-length leg with two Detours and two Roadblocks.
  3. ^ The Weaver Family was not shown performing the Roadblock on air, as the Linz and Bransen Families had already crossed the Finish Line. The interview after the race with the family revealed that Rebecca was the team member who did the Roadblock.
  4. ^ The Bransen Family won "The Final Amazing Challenge" task shown on the CBS website after the end of the race.

Episode title quotes

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.

  1. "Go, Mommy, Go! We Can Beat Them!" – Billy Gaghan
  2. "How Do We Know We Aren't Going to Get Shot?" – Carissa Gaghan
  3. "I Don't Kiss I Make Out" – Stassi Schroeder
  4. "Think Like An Office Chair" – Rachel Weaver
  5. "We're Getting Out of the Country, Girls" – Tommy Linz
  6. "I'm Sick of Doing Stuff I Can't Do" – Linda Weaver
  7. "You Look Ridiculous" – Phil Keoghan[lower-roman 1]
  8. "How's That Face Feel?" – Megan Linz
  9. "Don't Talk To Me Like I Was An Animal Or Something" – Christine Godlewski
  10. "The Family Christmas Card" – Wally Bransen
  11. "25 Days, 50 Cities, And More Than 600 Consecutive Hours Together as a Family" – Phil Keoghan
Notes
  1. ↑ This airing was a combination of 2 episodes. The 2nd hour's standalone episode title quote is "I Don't Roll with the Punches, I Punch" from Tommy Linz.

Prizes

Individual prizes were awarded to the first family to complete each leg. Trips provided by Travelocity

Race summary

Route map
Destinations Air travel    Rail travel    Water travel    Bus travel
Route Markers Detour    Roadblock    Fast Forward    Yield    Pit Stop

Leg 1 (New York → New Jersey → Pennsylvania)

At the Amish community in Pennsylvania, one of the detour choices to teams doing a buggy course of 1.5 miles (2.4 km)

Airdate: September 27, 2005

The first Detour of the Race was a choice between Build it or Buggy It. In Build It, teams needed to use a set of provided materials to construct a functioning scale model of a watermill. Once assembled, they then used two buckets of water to fill the mill and prove their work to receive their next clue. In Buggy It, two members from each team must pull a traditional Amish buggy along a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) course while the other two would sit inside. Only when they completed the course would teams receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 2 (Pennsylvania → Washington, D.C. → Virginia)

The Detours on this leg featured tasks about the American Civil War reenactment (the pictured reenactment is in Danville, Illinois)

Airdate: October 4, 2005

The first Roadblock of the Race asked "Who's ready for a covert operation?". For this Roadblock, one team member had to search for one of 10 spies out of 50 people carrying an identical briefcase around the Tidal Basin. To confirm the spy, he or she had to whisper a code phrase ("The sky is blue"), but only a spy would reply with the countersign phrase ("The sea is green"). Once they had found a spy, they exchanged their briefcase with the spy to receive their next clue. This task reappeared in The Amazing Race 22 as a Switchback.

At Welbourne Manor, teams found the leg's Detour: a choice between Heat of the Battle and Heat of the Night. In Heat of the Battle, teams must take part in a full-scale American Civil War reenactment by using stretchers to transport five wounded soldiers off the battlefield to a surgical tent to receive the next clue. In Heat of the Night, teams had to take a barrel of oil and a keg kerosene to a workstation where they had to fill 20 oil lamps. Once done, they must light all of the lamps and take them to the quartermaster to receive the next clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 3 (Virginia → South Carolina → Alabama)

In Huntsville, teams visited the U.S. Space & Rocket Center for this leg

Airdate: October 11, 2005

For this Detour, teams had to choose between Forrest Gump or Muddy Waters. In Forrest Gump, teams had to drive 7 miles (11 km) to Wando Shrimp Co. in Mount Pleasant and hop onto a shrimp boat where they had to use their hands to de-head 200 pounds (91 kg) of shrimp to receive their next clue. In Muddy Waters, teams had to drive 37 miles (60 km) to Ridgeville and find the Ridgeville Mud Run. Once there, teams drove a 4X4 SUV one lap through a mud obstacle course, including a 400 feet (120 m) gully filled with mud to receive their next clue. If they got stuck, they would have to wait to be towed out and restart the course.

This Roadblock asked "Who's ready to feel the oull of more than 3 Gs?" For this special Roadblock, two team members must ride in a centrifuge with a gravity speed of 3.2g. Once the pair endured the g-force, they would get their next clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 4 (Alabama → Mississippi → Louisiana)

Teams rode one complete lap at the Talladega Superspeedway on a party bike on their visit to Alabama

Airdate: October 18, 2005

There was a Roadblock on this leg that required one team member to climb to the top of the World's Largest Office Chair to receive their next clue which was aired as a miscellaneous task.

Once in Louisiana, teams found this leg's Detour was a choice between Work or Play. In Work, teams first had to don flannel clothing then used a two-person handsaw to cut four slices off a log 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter to receive their next clue from a log sawyer. In Play, teams had to don traditional New Orleans clothing, then made their way by canoe to a riverboat where they played a game of "21" against a professional dealer. To win a round, the hand of each team member needed to total more than the dealer's hand or the dealer must bust (go over 21). When the team won three rounds, the dealer would give them their clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 5 (Louisiana → Panama)

The Pit Stop for this leg of the race was located at the Miraflores Locks on the edge of Panama Canal in Panama City

Airdate: October 25, 2005

For the only Fast Forward on the Race, one team had to find a crane at the Pacific side of Panama Canal on Pier 12 in Balboa. Once there, the family must split into pairs to perform a tandem bungee jump 140 feet (43 m) above sea level. Once all members completed the drop, they would win the Fast Forward award.

This leg's Detour was choice between Rhythm or Coos. In Rhythm, teams traveled to Casco Viejo to collect four musical instruments; a saxophone (in Teatro Nacional de Panamá), a trumpet (in Escuela Simón Bolívar), a conga drum (in Casa Góngora) and a trombone (Instituto Nacional de Cultura). Once they retrieved all the instruments, they had to deliver them by foot to Take Five Jazz and Wine where the band leader would hand them their next clue. In Coos, teams traveled to El Parque Metropolitan where they had to binoculars to search the rainforest canopy for wooden replicas of five local bird species from a provided bird identification card. Once a bird was found, they had to circle the correct species on the card. Once they got five correct circles, they presented the card to the bird expert to get their next clue. However, if they circled the wrong birds, they would have to repeat the task until they circled correctly.

This leg's Roadblock asked "Who can hit in a pinch?". For this Roadblock, teams went to Estadio Juan Demóstenes Arosemena where one team member to had to play baseball by stepping up to a plate where they had to get a base hit or home run off a local little league champion. Each player would only get three pitches to or else they would have to go back to the end of the line. Once they got on base, the umpire would give them their next clue.

Additional note
Additional tasks

Leg 6 (Panama → Costa Rica)

Poás Volcano National Park in Costa Rica was visited by teams for this leg of the Race

Airdate: November 1, 2005

This leg's Roadblock asked "Who can tell the difference between colors?" For this Roadblock, one team member had to search through a pile of 800 pounds (360 kg) of coffee beans to find the one red bean. They then had to give the red bean to the plantation manager for their next clue.

The Detour was a choice between Relic or Ripe. In Relic, teams travel to a nearby rainforest Manuel Antonio National Park where they had to search for four Mayan relics somewhere on the six road bridges. Once they delivered each of these relics to an archaeologist, they would receive the next clue. In Ripe, teams traveled to the Frutas Selectas del Tropico banana plantation where they had to gather 15 bushels of bananas and load them on hanging tracks. Teams then had to haul the fruit with a local pulling system to the distribution center. Once delivered, the foreman would give them their next clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 7 (Costa Rica → Arizona)

La Iglesia de Metal in Grecia was the location of the Detour clue on this Leg

Airdate: November 8, 2005

The Detour was a choice between Brush or Barrel. In Brush, teams had to travel 10 miles (16 km) to Taller Eloy Alfaro in Sarchí. Once there, they must choose two partially painted cartwheels and fill in the missing section using the pattern provided to finish decorating the wheel. When the artist approved their work, they would receive their clue. In Barrel, teams traveled 10 miles (16 km) to a Sugarcane factory called Ingenio La Argentina where they had to load a tractor with 1 tonne (0.98 long tons; 1.1 short tons) of harvested sugarcane, then transport it 6 miles (9.7 km) to the rum factory Fabrica Nacional de Licores. Once the sugarcane was delivered, they had to search a warehouse to find a marked barrel rack hidden among dozens of rum barrels to receive their next clue.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to drive through kart racing inside Bondurant SuperKart School race track within 50 laps. Once they've done successfully completing all the laps, they receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 8 (Arizona)

In Page, Arizona, teams visited Glen Canyon Dam and looked to find the Detour clue. Beside the dam, Colorado River is shown on photo (foreground)

Airdate: November 8, 2005

In this leg's Roadblock, teams traveled to Fighter Combat International at Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport, one team member had to fly in a fighter plane and, following the pilot's direction, perform a 360 degree loop with the assistance of trained pilot. Once the loop was completed, they would land and get their next clue.

The Detour was a choice between Bearing or Bailing. For both Detours, the teams traveled by motorized raft to Horseshoe Bend along the Colorado River. In Bearing, teams had to choose a color-coded card with unique compass coordinates. They then followed the coordinates to the next card until they located three locations on three different islands to find the same card on each island. Once they had three cards, they could exchange them for the next clue. In Bailing, teams had to pour water into a boat until it submerged. Then, using only their hands and tools provided, they had bail water out of the boat to lighten it enough to carry onshore. Once the boat had been carried across a line in the sand, they would receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 9 (Arizona → Utah)

While in Utah, teams encountered a Roadblock involving pool ski jump at the Utah Olympic Park

Airdate: November 22, 2005

The Detour was a choice between Ride Down or Drop Down. In Ride Down, teams had to choose bikes and rode a 6 miles (9.7 km) course down the mountain, then to Bull Canyon to retrieve their next clue. In Drop Down, teams completed a two-stage rappel 270 feet (82 m) to reach Bull Canyon and their next clue.

Before entering the Roadblock, there was encountering a Yield sign. The Roadblock was one team member had to put on skis, ride a 60 feet (18 m) ramp above the ski jump at the base of Utah Olympic Park and do into a Olympic pool to get their next clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 10 (Utah → Wyoming → Montana)

At Yellowstone National Park, teams had to wait for the eruption of Old Faithful before receiving their next clue

Airdate: November 29, 2005

In this leg's Detour, at the Heber Valley Railway, was a choice between Spike It or Steam It. In Spike It, teams used old-time materials and tools to complete a 20 feet (6.1 m) section of railway track. In Steam It, teams used buckets to fill the tender of an old-time steam locomotive with nearly 400 pounds (180 kg) of coal. In both Detours, teams would need to get their work approved by a railway engineer before receiving their next clue.

In this Family version Roadblock, teams traveled to Dunham Ranch, two team members mount horses and took six cattle from a holding pen and herd them 0.25 miles (0.40 km) into a corral. Once completed, the cowboy would get their next clue.

Additional tasks
One side of the Detour involved teams building a teepee in honor to the people of American Indians

Airdate: December 6, 2005

In the Western-themed Detour, teams had a choice between Pioneer Spirit or Native Tradition. In Pioneer Spirit, teams had to attach four wheels to a covered wagon, hook up a team of horses, and drive along a 0.25 miles (0.40 km) course. In Native Tradition, teams had to use materials and traditional tools provided to build a teepee.

In this Family version Roadblock, two team members chose a colored flags and attached it to a Buick Lucerne golf cart. Then, they drove to the golf course and searched for colored balls the same color of the flag they picked. Once the task was completed, the golf pro would give them their next clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 11 (Montana → Canada → New York)

Teams spent the double-length leg in Montreal by visiting Montreal Biosphère where it hosted Expo 67 (top) and continued on to the CN Tower, the tallest freestanding tower in the world in the skyline of Toronto (bottom)

Airdate: December 13, 2005

The first Detour of the leg was a choice between Slide It or Roll It. In Slide It, teams traveled to Glenfinnan Rink in McGill University to participate in the sport of curling. Each team member glided a granite stone 120 feet (37 m) down the ice to the house target. Once team member got a stone into the house or touched the house with a total of 4 targets, they would receive their next clue. In Roll It, teams traveled to Morgan Arboretum and had to use lumberjack tools to roll four wooden logs along the 100 feet (30 m) course and in order to receive their next clue from the lumberjack.

The leg's first Roadblock, teams traveled to La Porte J at Trapezium, where one team member had to successfully complete a flying trapeze maneuver known as a catch in order to receive their clue.

The final Detour of the Race was a choice between Ship or Shoe. In Ship, teams sailed across Toronto Harbour from Queens Quay to the Kajama boat. One team member climbed 100 feet (30 m) to the top of the mast and retrieved a nautical flag. Once they retrieved the flag, the captain would hand them their next clue. In Shoe, teams traveled to Bata Shoe Museum where they would choose a pair of shoes and search through 100 women standing around the museum to find a woman wearing a matching shoe to receive their next clue.

The final Roadblock of the Race, teams went to Joseph Davis State Environmental Park in Lewiston, New York, where one team member had to use 71 giant jigsaw puzzle pieces and complete a map of Central and North America (excluding the Caribbean). Once the puzzle was completed, teams were allowed to go to the Finish Line.

Additional tasks

Critical Response

Fans, critics, and racers were lukewarm over the format changes implemented in this edition of The Amazing Race. The main issues were the lack of international travel and watered down challenges tailored to families. The expanded cast also made it more difficult to develop individual story lines. Entertainment Weekly commented that "Half the fun of The Amazing Race has always been watching the inter and intra-couple bickering that goes with being chronically late and lost in a foreign land. Seeing parents yell at their children in exotic New Jersey? Not so fun".[7] USA Today shared similar opinions, adding that "the idea of being trapped in the back seat for a forced cross-country family drive comes closer to a nightmare relived than a dream come true."[8] Racers were also disappointed that they did not have a chance to travel to more exotic locations; in one episode Marion Paolo commented "Why are we going to Phoenix, Arizona for? I want to go to New Zealand!" – a statement that also summed up the general opinion of the season.

In hindsight, the production team has admitted that the concept of a Family Edition "looked good on paper" but failed in execution, since child racers limited foreign travel for that season. Creators Bertram Van Munster and Jonathan Littman doubt that the family format will be revived in the future.[9]

Ratings

Canadian ratings

Order Episode Viewers (millions) Rank
1 "Go Mommy Go We Can Beat Them" 2.62 #5[10]
2 "How Do We Know We Arent Going to Get Shot?" 2.34 #4
3 "I Dont Kiss, I Make Out" 2.30 #4
4 "Think Like An Office Chair" 2.65 #5
5 "Were Getting Out of the Country, Girls" 2.14 #5
6 "Im Sick of Doing Stuff I Can't Do" 2.14 #5
7 "You Look Ridiculous" 2.12 #8
8 "Hows That Face Feel" 2.20 #7
9 "Dont Talk To Me Like I Was An Animal Or Something" 1.97 #9
10 "The Family Christmas Card 2.25 #5
11 "25 Days 50 Cities And More Than 600 Consecutive Hours Together as a Family" 2.66 #1

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "rogers eliminated from amazing race family edition - Today's News: Our Take". TVGuide.com. 2005-10-10. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
    2. ↑ "A Family Beyond The 'Race'". CBS News. October 5, 2005. Retrieved October 5, 2005.
    3. ↑ "TAR Timeline: When, Where, What, and How - TWoP Forums - Page 74.733333333333". Forums.televisionwithoutpity.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
    4. ↑ "Amazon.com – "My Ox is Broken!"". Retrieved September 2006. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
    5. ↑ Hesse, Monica (2008-07-11). "'Queen Bees': Do You Catch More Eyes With Honey?". Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
    6. ↑ "Rhonda Reneé Rogers Obituary". shreveporttimes.com. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
    7. ↑ Ross, Dalton (October 14, 2005). "What's wrong with The Amazing Race?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 14, 2005.
    8. ↑ Bianco, Robert (October 25, 2005). "'Amazing Race' is not family friendly". USA Today. Retrieved October 25, 2005.
    9. ↑ "Amazing Race 10 Teams Announced". Retrieved July 15, 2006.
    10. ↑ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English): September 26 – October 2, 2005" (PDF).
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